The first Cherry Blossom Forecast 2023 has been released! This year’s cherry blossoms are expected to bloom on time, or just slightly earlier than average in most places. They’re expected to be in full bloom at Ueno Park on March 30, 2023.

How is the Cherry Blossom Forecast Done?

The cherry blossom flower buds grow from summer to autumn. Once the temperature dips, and winter arrives, they go dormant and stop growing.

After being exposed to the severe cold of winter, the flower buds wake up in early spring and begin to grow again. From December 2022 to early January 2023, the pressure patterns and temperatures have been near normal in northern Japan and a little lower than normal in western and eastern Japan.

Based on these weather patterns, the Cherry Blossom experts make an educated guess of when the flower buds will open. And these guys are surprisingly accurate.

Here’s the Cherry Blossom Forecast 2023

Hokkaido

Goryokaku Park | Iso10970, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The cherry blossoms in Hokkaido are expected to bloom somewhat earlier than usual. They’re predicted to start blooming in southern Hokkaido in late April and move toward northern and eastern Hokkaido by May. The Kushiro area, which has the slowest flowering season in Japan, is expected to bloom in early May.

Goryokaku Park: Full bloom May 1
Nijukken Road Cherry Blossom Trees: Full bloom May 7

Kanto and Koshin

Gonkadou Sakurazutsumi | Kurofune, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The cherry blossoms in the Kanto and Koshin areas are expected to bloom at the same or slightly earlier time than in an average year. Flowering is going to begin in Tokyo around March 21^st, ahead of the rest of the country. By the end of March, the Kanto region should begin flowering. Nagano is expected to be in full bloom by April 11^th.

Heiwa Dori (Ibaraki Prefecture): Full bloom April 6
Hachimanyama Park (Tochigi Prefecture): Full bloom April 4
Maebashi Park (Gunma Prefecture): Full bloom April 3
Gonkadou Sakurazutsumi (Saitama Prefecture): Full bloom April 3
Ueno Park (Tokyo): Full bloom March 30
Chiba Park (Chiba Prefecture): Full bloom April 2
Sankeien Garden (Kanagawa Prefecture): Full bloom March 31
Matsumoto Castle (Nagano Prefecture): Full bloom April 10
Daiboshi Park (Yamanashi Prefecture): Full bloom April 1

Hokuriku

Matsukawa Park | アラツク, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Hokuriku region cherry blossoms are expected to bloom at the same as in an average year. Flowering is expected in Kanazawa and Fukui around April 1^st, followed by Toyama around April 2^nd, and Niigata around April 6^th.

Toriyanogata Park (Niigata Prefecture): Full bloom April 11
Matsukawa Park (Toyama Prefecture): Full bloom April 6
Kenrokuen (Ishikawa Prefecture): Full bloom April 8
Asuwayama Park (Fukui Prefecture): Full bloom April 6

Tokai

Becki at Tsurumai Park

The Tokai region cherry blossoms should bloom the same as they do in normal years. The buds are predicted to be in full bloom in Nagoya around April 3^rd, Gifu around April 2^nd, and Shizuoka and Tsu around April 4^th.

Sunpu Castle Park (Shizuoka Prefecture): Full bloom April 6
Tsurumai Park (Aichi Prefecture): Full bloom April 3
Shinsakai River (Gifu Prefecture): Full bloom April 2
Miyagawa River (Mie Prefecture): Full bloom April 6

Kinki

Himeji Castle

The cherry blossoms in the Kinki region are expected to bloom as normal. Compared to last year, it seems to be around the same time, with flowering starting in Wakayama on March 27^th, followed by Osaka on March 28^th.

Hikone Castle (Shiga Prefecture): Full bloom April 7
Arashiyama (Kyoto Prefecture): Full bloom April 3
Osaka Castle Park (Osaka): Full bloom April 4
Himeji Castle (Hyogo Prefecture): Full bloom April 6
Nara Park (Nara Prefecture): Full bloom April 7
Wakayama Castle (Wakayama Prefecture): Full bloom April 4

Chugoku and Shikoku

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

The cherry blossoms in Chugoku and Shikoku are expected to bloom the same as normal. Flowering is expected to begin in Kochi on March 22^nd, followed by Hiroshima on March 26^th.

Okayama Korakuen (Okayama Prefecture): Full bloom April 4
Peace Memorial Park (Hiroshima Prefecture): Full bloom April 4
Matsue Shiroyama Park (Shimane Prefecture): Full bloom April 4
Utsubuki Park (Tottori Prefecture): Full bloom April 3
Kayama Park (Yamaguchi Prefecture): Full bloom March 30
Ritsurin Park (Kagawa Prefecture): Full bloom April 6
Bizan Park (Tokushima Prefecture): Full bloom April 4
Matsuyama Castle (Ehime Prefecture): Full bloom April 5
Kochi Park (Kochi Prefecture): Full bloom March 31

Kyushu

Maizuru Park | STA3816, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The cherry blossoms in Kyushu are expected to bloom at the same time, or slightly earlier than usual. In Kyushu, flowering is expected to begin in Fukuoka around March 24^th, followed by Kumamoto and Miyazaki around the 26^th.

Maizuru Park (Fukuoka Prefecture): Full bloom April 2
Heiwa Citizen Park (Oita Prefecture): Full bloom April 4
Tokenyama Park (Nagasaki Prefecture): Full bloom April 2
Ogi Park (Saga Prefecture): Full bloom April 2
Kumamoto Castle Park (Kumamoto Prefecture): Full bloom April 2
Saitobaru Burial Mounds (Miyazaki Prefecture): Full bloom April 5
Senganen Park (Kagoshima Prefecture): Full bloom April 5

It’s Not a Science, But It’s Close

Keep in mind that this announcement is just a forecast at this stage. The flower forecast is continuously updated, and is highly dependent on temperatures. If you’re planning to see cherry blossoms on your trip, we recommend that you keep a close eye on the latest forecasts and weather forecasts.

See the Cherry Blossom Forecast 2024.