What is the 2019 Japan Cherry Bloom Forecast

If you want to talk about beauty, vitality, and renewal, the sakura season is what you will be adoring. The Japanese cherry blossom season is a season that many people look forward to all around the world. In the spring of every year, Japan receives a lot of visitors from all over, coming to experience the beautiful season brought about by the cherry blossom.

Overview of the Sakura season

During the sakura season, people watch the pink or white flowers of the cherry blossom tree bloom. Many people are amazed by this spectacle and would pay for anything to be in Japan during this season. The Japanese themselves are not left behind. In fact, being the hosts, they too eagerly await to enjoy the hanami or the cherry blossom festival.

The hanami festival revolves around the tradition of viewing and absorbing the beauty of the cherry blossom. You will find families, couples and friends having picnics under the cherry blossom trees all day long.

To take part in the popular cherry blossom festival in 2019, you need to have these two things in mind; when the cherry blossom is expected to blossom and where the festival is beginning. There are a lot of prime locations with different features. Some are near historic sites hence giving you double experience. There are areas with old trees while others have a lot of new trees.

When the Cherry Blossom season starts

After knowing where you will enjoy the hanami, you need to know the time and dates when the festival is projected to happen. The sakura blooming can time be very long depending on where you are in Japan. Where the winter is mild, blooming starts early.

Blooming begins in the southern region then advances to northern parts of the country. Most of the time, Okinawa is the first place to produce a bloom. This happens in the month of March towards the later dates.

The first blooming is called kaika which happens in late March. The full bloom is called mankai and occurs about a week after the first emergence. Mankai can extend to May in some years especially in the northern regions.

Sakura season forecast in 2019 by region

To be able to create this forecast, scientists have used data from 2017 and last year. The Cherry blossom is expected to start earlier than the previous year especially in the central and southern parts of Japan. Sakura will start from the south as in many cases at the end of March. The first bloom will be seen in Kyushu where the temperatures are expected to start rising early.

Sakura will extend to May in Hokkaido. Kochi will experience its full bloom on the 29th of March with Tokyo and Yokohama having theirs around 27th of the same month. Kyoto and Nara will open up the month of April, experiencing their full bloom on the 1st. They will be followed by Osaka on 2nd with Aomori being on the 25th. Sapporo opens up the month of May.

You can check the full map of the forecast to see how the cherry blooming season is projected to take place from the lower areas of Okinawa to the high regions of Hokkaido. However, the projected dates are prone to change due to shifts in rain, winds, and temperature.

In case you miss hunami in Kyoto and Tokyo, you can head up north to Tohoku and Hokkaido. Given the late-blooming, these areas cater for the last minute visitors.

What you need to know when visiting Japan for Sakura

If you are planning to travel for Sakura, you need to be mentally prepared and know what to expect. Surprises are beautiful, but some can disorient your entire schedule.

The first thing you need to be aware off is that during this season parks are full of people. Do not expect to have some quiet walking time for yourself. People fill the parks from morning to evening to enjoy the cherry bloom view to the forest.

The second thing to be prepared for is a lot of friendly faces. Yes, most Japanese are quite helpful and willing to show you around. Of course, in every city you will not miss people with bad intentions, so you still need to take care of your property. However, if you find yourself at an unknown place, do not hesitate to ask for directions. Guards are the best at this.

Know where to stay and what is available at which places. If you are planning to stay around big cities such as Tokyo, big hotels and restaurants offer excellent accommodation and refreshments. You will also have a choice of a full course meal. In smaller towns, hostels and Airbnb are the best options. They may be a bit small, but the locals will make sure you feel at home.

Start from the south and move up north. Their tickets to Tokyo are way cheaper than in other big cities.

Sakura season never disappoints. The spring in Japan cannot be compared to anywhere else in the world. While you are in Japan, do not forget to visit areas with mountains. The view there is spectacular. Make sure you have your cherry blossom blooming forecast, and you will be good to go.