Cherry blossom and autumn leaves in Japan: when to go, city by city

How the dates are measured

Each JMA weather office watches its own sample tree (標本木), using the same rules everywhere:

• Sakura flowering (開花): the first day 5–6 or more blossoms are open on the sample tree, mainly Somei-yoshino.
• Sakura full bloom (満開): the first day about 80% or more of the buds are open. This is the date to aim for.
• Maple leaf colouring (紅葉): the first day most of the tree’s leaves have turned red, looking at the whole tree (mainly iroha-momiji; Sapporo and Hakodate observe other maple species).

The normal is JMA’s 1991–2020 average. A temple garden or a hillside across town follows its own trees, so treat the city date as a guide to the week, not the day.

Autumn leaves by city

JMA maple leaf-colouring dates (かえでの紅葉日). Kyoto has no 2021 observation, so its range covers four years. Ordered roughly north to south.

The colour moves from Hokkaido in late October and early November to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto in late November and December. Kyoto’s sample tree has been later than its 5 Dec average in 4 of the 4 recent years, so a trip in the first half of December has caught it more often than one in late November. Nikko and Hakone are not JMA stations; both are in the mountains, so check local sources for their colour rather than the Tokyo date.

Cherry blossoms by city

JMA sakura flowering (開花) and full-bloom (満開) dates. Okinawa’s cherries are a different species that blooms in January and February, so it is left out; see Okinawa for a first trip for its seasons.

Full bloom follows flowering by 4–10 days on the averages. Recent springs have run early: in 13 of these 15 cities, full bloom came before the 1991–2020 normal in at least four of the six years 2021–2026. If you have to fix dates months ahead: from 2021 to 2026, every full-bloom date in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka fell between 22 Mar and 6 Apr, while Aomori, Hakodate and Sapporo reached full bloom between 11 Apr and 28 Apr: the fallback if you arrive late.

Planning around the dates

• Book flexible. Choose refundable rooms for the peak week and decide the city order once JMA posts the first flowering dates.
• Watch the holidays. Late-April blossoms in the north overlap Golden Week, and November leaves meet a holiday weekend; dates, weather and crowds for every month are in the best time to visit Japan.
• Follow the bloom by train. On the averages Tokyo and Fukuoka come first, then Nagoya and Kansai, then Tohoku, Hokkaido last. A pass can make a moving trip cheaper: JR EAST PASS for Tohoku and Hokkaido, or JR West passes in Kansai; see JR Pass vs regional passes. Ending in Sapporo or Hakodate? Sapporo and Hokkaido covers the trains and passes there.
• Book Shinkansen seats as soon as they open: one month ahead (see the JR Pass guide for fares).
• Day trips: Kyoto and Nara are the classic sakura and momiji day trips; Nikko and Kamakura and Mt Fuji and Hakone from Tokyo.

Following this season live

JMA updates its maple and ginkgo pages once a day (around 08:35 Japan time), and from December to June its sakura status pages three times a day (around 08:30, 11:30 and 17:30). They are in Japanese: look for your city (for example 東京 Tokyo, 京都 Kyoto, 大阪 Osaka) and a date in the 2026 or 2027 column. As of 24 October 2026, the 2026 maple column is still almost empty: the leaves have turned only in the far north.

Quick answers

When is the best time to see autumn leaves in Kyoto in 2026?

The Japan Meteorological Agency’s maple tree in Kyoto turns red on 5 Dec on average (1991–2020), but in the last 4 observed years it was later every time, between 10 Dec and 20 Dec. Early to mid December has been the safer bet for the city.

When do cherry blossoms bloom in Tokyo in 2027?

Nobody can say yet. The Tokyo average is flowering on 24 Mar and full bloom on 31 Mar; from 2021 to 2026 full bloom fell between 22 Mar and 4 Apr. Private weather companies publish forecasts; JMA posts the actual dates as they happen.

How long after the first blossoms is full bloom?

On the 1991–2020 averages, 4 to 10 days, depending on the city: 7 in Tokyo and 9 in Kyoto.

Do cherry blossoms bloom earlier in Tokyo or Kyoto?

Usually Tokyo, by a few days: full bloom averages 31 Mar in Tokyo, 4 Apr in Kyoto and 4 Apr in Osaka. In 2026 it was 28 Mar, 30 Mar and 3 Apr.

Where can I see cherry blossoms in late April or May?

In the north. Full bloom averages 26 Apr in Aomori, 2 May in Hakodate and 6 May in Sapporo, though in 2021–2026 Sapporo was always earlier, between 21 Apr and 27 Apr.

Are cherry blossom forecasts reliable?

They are a guide, not a promise, and they move as the season approaches. We only show what the Japan Meteorological Agency actually observed and its 30-year averages, so you can see how much the date varies from year to year.

Kenrokuen in Kanazawa has evening light-ups in both seasons; getting there is in our Kanazawa guide. Putting dates together? Add them to the trip planner, and check whether a JR Pass is worth it for your route. Visiting an onsen on an autumn trip? Read onsen etiquette and tattoos.

Sources

Checked against these pages on 24 October 2026. Official pages take precedence over this summary.

1. Japan Meteorological Agency: Phenological observations (sakura, maple and others): data index
   National weather agency.
2. Japan Meteorological Agency: Sakura flowering dates by city, recent years and 1991–2020 normals
   National weather agency.
3. Japan Meteorological Agency: Sakura full-bloom dates by city, recent years and 1991–2020 normals
   National weather agency.
4. Japan Meteorological Agency: How sakura flowering and full bloom are defined (PDF)
   National weather agency.
5. Japan Meteorological Agency: This year’s sakura flowering status (updated three times a day, December–June)
   National weather agency.
6. Japan Meteorological Agency: Maple leaf-colouring dates by city, all years and normals (PDF)
   National weather agency.
7. Japan Meteorological Agency: How the maple leaf-colouring date is defined (PDF)
   National weather agency.
8. Japan Meteorological Agency: Maple leaf-colouring this season, by city
   National weather agency.

General information. The dates are JMA observations of single sample trees; individual parks and gardens vary, and future dates cannot be known in advance. JapanBenri is not affiliated with JMA.