Cherry Blossom Season 2027: When It Blooms, and Which Sakura Spots Need Booking

Most of Japan's famous cherry blossom spots are public parks and riversides: you just walk in. A handful, though, work on reservations, and in 2026 they opened booking only a few weeks before the blossoms.

This page covers both halves: when the trees usually bloom (from the Japan Meteorological Agency's records), and which spots and experiences you need to book, based on what their official pages said for 2026. We checked them on Nov 6, 2026. The 2027 rules are not out yet.

Short on time in Tokyo? A cherry blossom day tour strings several spots together, and a sakura cruise sees them from the river.

Tokyo cherry blossom tours on Klook ↗

By How to Book Japan Editorial TeamLast checked Nov 7, 2026

Some links on this page are affiliate links. Most sakura spots are free, and we say so.

The short version

Typical first bloom

Tokyo Mar 24, Kyoto Mar 26, Osaka Mar 27 (JMA normals, 1991–2020)

Typical full bloom

Tokyo Mar 31, Kyoto and Osaka Apr 4

Free, no booking

Most parks and riversides, such as Ueno Park and the Meguro River

Book ahead (2026 rules)

Osaka Mint walk (free, online pre-registration) · Shinjuku Gyoen on peak weekends · Nijo Castle night event on set dates · Chidorigafuchi boats

Paid extras

Sakura cruises and yakatabune boats, booked with the operator or an agency

Forecasts

Private weather companies publish them; Weathernews says its 2027 information starts in Feb 2027

When do the cherry blossoms bloom?

The Japan Meteorological Agency records the first-bloom and full-bloom dates of sample trees in each city. These are the 1991–2020 averages, with 2026 for comparison. In these averages, full bloom comes 5 to 9 days after the first flowers.

Tokyo

First bloom Mar 24 · full bloom Mar 312026: Mar 19 / Mar 28

Kyoto

Mar 26 · Apr 42026: Mar 23 / Mar 30

Osaka

Mar 27 · Apr 42026: Mar 26 / Apr 3

Nagoya

Mar 24 · Apr 22026: Mar 17 / Mar 30

Hiroshima

Mar 25 · Apr 32026: Mar 19 / Mar 30

Fukuoka

Mar 22 · Mar 312026: Mar 24 / Apr 3

Kanazawa

Apr 3 · Apr 82026: Mar 29 / Apr 3

Sendai

Apr 8 · Apr 132026: Mar 31 / Apr 4

Sapporo

May 1 · May 62026: Apr 18 / Apr 24

The 2026 dates show how much a year can shift: first bloom came 5 days early in Tokyo, 7 in Nagoya and 13 in Sapporo, but 2 days late in Fukuoka. If your dates are fixed, aim for the middle of the window and allow for a shift of several days either way.

For where to go and how to plan a spring trip, see Japan in cherry blossom season.

Osaka Mint cherry blossom walk: free, but you must register

The Japan Mint opens a riverside lane of cherry trees in its Osaka grounds for one week a year (the "Sakura no Torinuke"). Entry is free, but in 2026 it was online pre-registration only, first come, first served.

2026 dates

Apr 9–15, weekdays 10:00–19:15, weekends 9:00–19:15

Registration opened

Mar 18, 2026, 9:00 Japan time, on the Mint's dedicated site

Group size

Up to 5 people per application, one time slot per day

Capacity

Set per 30-minute slot. Slots stay open until they fill, up to the day itself.

The Mint hasn't announced the 2027 dates or the registration date yet. In 2026, registration opened on Mar 18, three weeks before the walk.

Shinjuku Gyoen: timed tickets on peak weekends

Shinjuku Gyoen (¥500) is open without booking most days. In 2026 the Ministry of the Environment made online reservations compulsory from 10:00 to 16:00 on the peak bloom weekends (Mar 28–29 and Apr 5). Booking opened Mar 2.

Whether 2027 will repeat this hasn't been announced. Shinjuku Gyoen tickets and the reservation days →

Night light-ups that sell tickets ahead

Kyoto · 2026

Nijo Castle SAKURA NIGHTS

Mar 19 – Apr 19, 18:00–22:00From ¥2,800 (Mon–Thu)Date-specified tickets Apr 4, 5, 11

Night entry to the castle grounds plus the Ninomaru Palace (adult regular prices). Fri–Sun and holidays ¥3,000, specified dates ¥3,200, cheaper early-bird tickets until Mar 18. From Mar 19, regular tickets were also sold at the venue.

Tokyo · 2026

Chidorigafuchi light-up and boats

Light-up Mar 26 – Apr 6 from 18:00Boats 9:00–19:30¥12,000 per boat per hour

The moat walk is free. The rowing boats during the festival cost ¥12,000 an hour (including a donation to the cherry tree fund), and some boats could be booked ahead.

GO TOKYO event page (official)

These are the 2026 events. Dates and prices for 2027 had not been announced when we checked on Nov 7, 2026.

Sakura cruises and yakatabune: worth booking?

Sakura cruises are sold for a fixed date, and you book before anyone knows exactly when the trees will peak.

Honest advice: pick a cruise with free cancellation, or one that runs every day of the season, so a late or early bloom doesn't leave you on a river of bare trees. Regular Sumida River water buses run all year, and same-day tickets are sold at the piers. Tokyo river cruises →

Season only

Tokyo cherry blossom cruise

Check what's included, the duration and the cancellation terms on the listing

A river cruise sold for the cherry blossom season.

Sakura cruise on Klook ↗

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Tokyo Bay

Yakatabune night cruise

A night cruise on a traditional yakatabune boat in Tokyo Bay. Not a sakura cruise as such. Check the listing for the dates it runs and what's included.

Yakatabune on Klook ↗

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Which famous spots need no booking at all?

Most of them. Ueno Park, the Meguro River, Sumida Park, the Philosopher's Path in Kyoto and Osaka Castle Park are public spaces. There is nothing to reserve: you just turn up.

If you'd rather not plan the route yourself, a guided day tour links several spots in one day.

Tokyo sakura day tours on Klook ↗

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Spring booking checklist

Book flights and hotels as soon as your dates are set.
Watch the forecasts from February and the official pages in March.
Register for the Osaka Mint walk the day registration opens.
Check whether Shinjuku Gyoen has reservation days again.
Choose cruises with free cancellation.
Book Shinkansen seats as soon as they go on sale, one month ahead at 10:00 Japan time. How to book the Shinkansen →

You'll be checking bloom maps and booking pages on the go. A Japan eSIM keeps you online.

Compare Japan eSIMs on Klook ↗

We'll update this page for 2027

The 2027 dates for the Mint, Shinjuku Gyoen and the light-ups had not been announced when we checked on Nov 7, 2026. When they are, we'll add them here with the date we checked.

Cherry blossom season planning →Sakura cruises on Klook ↗

Affiliate link on the second button.