Cherry blossom season in Japan usually starts in mid-March in the lower half of Japan and can go all the way until the beginning of May at the most northern part of Japan. Definitely look at past cherry blossom season forecasts when planning out your own trip to Japan in the spring. But even if you don't go at the exact time I don't think you'll miss anything because cherry blossom season has three distinct parts, or life-spans: blooming, full bloom and falling blossoms. You are bound to catch the cherry blossoms at any of these stages if you stick to the mid-March and early May schedule.
But now, let's get to the fun part. I just said that no amount of pictures will do it justice but I wanted to share at least the locations I went to my first time going to see the cherry blossoms in Japan. I'm only going to mention the three most visited cities for this blog: Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. There will be more spot reporting in a future blog. Hopefully this helps you on your future Japan adventures whether it's during cherry blossom season or not.
Tokyo Imperial Palace Garden
Surrounding the Tokyo Imperial Palace is a park/garden. Even though the palace functions as the home of the imperial family, the surrounding area is just a typical park that people roam around in. Here is where I got to see my very first cherry blossoms. They have trees you can stand under and take great pictures with. These trees from afar look like puffy clouds floating above the ground. It is just a great place to see cherry blossoms while visiting an iconic place.
Nijo Castle in Kyoto
Kyoto's own Nijo Castle is a great place to visit in general but also during cherry blossom season. The cherry blossoms on the castle grounds are a popular picture spot that requires you to wait your turn in order to take a picture under them. You will have to pay to get into Nijo Castle but it's well worth the 600 yen (about $6). What's even more interesting is the if you also visit in the fall to see the changing colors of the leaves, you can see where the cherry blossoms trees are clearly because it's literally just a bare tree. No leaves, just branches. It was pretty neat to see this too.
Heian Shrine in Kyoto
Another great spot to see cherry blossoms in Kyoto is at Heian Shrine. This shrine is not as popular as other cherry blossom viewing spots such as the Philosopher's Path, but it has a certain charm to it. The shrine is a great place to visit for itself but the garden behind the main building is the golden spot. The garden just magnifies the beauty of the surrounding cherry blossom trees. I was literally in awe at the sight. I mean, look at that reflection in the water! Just amazing!
Osaka Castle
A great place to see cherry blossom trees in Osaka is Osaka Castle. The castle is already a popular tourist destination, but the desire to visit doubles during cherry blossom season so expect a large crowd. Surrounding the castle and its moat are cherry blossom trees. You will probably find many people sitting under these trees for the cultural experience of hanami, or flower viewing. There are even some cherry blossom trees inside of the castle grounds. The castle is a very festive place for cherry blossom viewing so enjoy all the excitement.
Ueno Park in Tokyo
I wasn't expecting much from this area only because no one has talked about it but it was a very nice surprise. Even though the crowd was ridiculous, seeing the cherry blossoms surrounding the Shinobazu Pond was beautiful. The added animal life such as the birds and fish just made the experience more enjoyable. But I'm serious about that crowd, so beware if you are not a crowd person.
Uji, Kyoto Prefecture
A very short distance from the city of Kyoto is the city of Uji. Uji is famously known for its green tea. We were specifically in Uji for a tea ceremony but we had the chance to see something so amazing. The trail of cherry blossom trees along the river are indescribable. I literally don't know how to express its wonder. I sadly only took a close up of the blossoms, but I'll share a video of it on my newly created YouTube channel! Subscribe to my channel while you're there!
So I hope you enjoyed this quick, fun blog post. Cherry blossom season is a great time to visit Japan if you are looking for a little extra from your Japan experience.