From March to May, visitors to Japan are captivated by the enchanting sight of sakura, the cherry blossoms, adorning the urban and rural areas with their stunning pale pink hue – one of the most tantalizing features of a visit to the Land of the Rising Sun.
JNTO, the Japan National Tourism Organization, operates a captivating and practical website that annually predicts the occurrence and whereabouts of cherry blossom season. Given Japan’s extensive span of one thousand miles, sakura flowers can be observed blooming from mid-March to mid-May.
The cherry blossoms are predicted to bloom first in Kyushu, the southernmost island of the country, around March 19. Tokyo is expected to see the blossoms on March 20, followed by Hiroshima on March 21. Kyoto will have cherry blossoms about a week later. In early April, the cherry blossoms will bloom in Tohoku prefecture in northern Honshu. The blossoms will gradually move northward, reaching Sapporo in Hokkaido towards the end of April, and finally appearing in Kushiro, Hokkaido on May 12.
For over a century, Japanese blossoms have captivated the attention of Americans. The fascination began when Japan generously donated 3,000 cherry trees to be planted along the Potomac’s shores. Each year, droves of Americans flock to Washington, DC to witness the magnificent display of these trees, which bloom for a mere two weeks. However, those who venture to Japan are granted a longer period of sixty days to revel in the breathtaking beauty of nature.
2024 has been officially designated by the U.S. and Japanese governments as US-Japan Tourism Year, and tourism in both directions is expected to increase significantly.
SOURCE: Chasing Cherry Blossoms: Sakura Season in Japan BY: eTurboNews | eTN