Planning around cherry blossom season in Japan

Every spring, Japan follows the cherry blossoms almost like a weather event. Forecasts are published, the "blossom front" is tracked on maps as it moves up the country, and parks fill with people having hanami, picnics under the trees.

Timing is everything

The blossoms move from south to north. They open first in Okinawa in winter, reach Kyushu, Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo usually around late March to early April, and arrive in Hokkaido weeks later. Each year is a little different, depending on the winter and the spring.

Two words are useful when reading forecasts:

• Kaika: the first flowers open.
• Mankai: full bloom, usually about a week after kaika.

Full bloom lasts only a few days before petals start to fall. Wind or rain can shorten it further.

How to plan

1. Book flexible. Choose accommodation you can change, and plan more than one city if possible. If Tokyo is early, the mountains or the north may still be in bloom.
2. Check forecasts close to the date. Several Japanese weather services publish blossom forecasts from early in the year and update them often.
3. Expect crowds and higher prices. Spring is one of the busiest travel seasons, overlapping with the start of the Japanese school and work year.

Hanami manners

• Do not pull, shake or climb the branches.
• Take all your rubbish home; bins may be full or absent.
• Some parks do not allow alcohol, barbecues or reserving space overnight. Read the signs.
• Early morning is quieter and the light is soft.

If you miss the peak, do not worry. Falling petals on water, called hanaikada or "flower rafts", are a sight of their own, and plum blossoms come earlier, in late winter, for those who travel before the crowds.

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Photos: dep377, kanenori, phgvu307, 7010naoto on Pixabay, used under the Pixabay Content License. These are not my photographs.