When do they bloom?

When do they bloom?

The most important factor that determines the blooming time of cherry trees is the geographical location. Basically, the milder the climate, the earlier the blossoms open.

On Japan's southern, subtropical islands of Okinawa, cherry blossoms open as early as January, while on the northern island of Hokkaido, they bloom as late as May. In most major cities in between, including Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, the cherry blossom season typically takes place around the end of March and beginning of April (see table below).

Furthermore, the blooming time differs from year to year depending on the weather. If the weather during the months and weeks preceding the cherry blossom season is mild, blossoms will open early. If it is cold, blossoms will open later. From year to year, the start of the blooming season can vary by as much as plus/minus two weeks.

How long do they bloom?

The cherry blossom season is relatively short. Full bloom (mankai) is usually reached within about one week after the opening of the first blossoms (kaika). Another week later, the blooming peak is over and the blossoms are falling from the trees. Strong wind and rain can cut the blooming season even shorter.

Cherry blossom forecasts

Every year, the Meteorological Agency and the media is closely following the so called "cherry blossom front", as it slowly moves northern wards. Note, that the front indicates the opening of the first blossoms (kaika) rather than the arrival of full bloom (mankai).

Of course, not every tree in a city opens on the same day, as trees in shadowy places, for example, bloom several days later than trees in sunny places. That is, why a set of representative sample trees is selected to define the date of kaika (the opening of the first blossoms) for a whole city. In Tokyo, the sample trees are located at Yasukuni Shrine.

Average blooming dates

The dates below indicate the average dates on which cherry trees open their first blossoms for selected cities, and the dates on which they opened in the previous two years. Remember that full bloom is usually reached within about one week from the date the first blossoms have opened.

City	Average Year	2007	2006	2005
Sapporo	May 5	May 4	May 8	May 10
Hakodate	May 3	April 30	May 7	May 1
Sendai	April 12	April 6	April 13	April 14
Tokyo	March 28	March 20	March 21	March 31
Yokohama	March 28	March 23	March 21	April 2
Nagoya	March 28	March 23	March 26	March 31
Kanazawa	April 6	March 29	April 6	April 7
Kyoto	March 31	March 25	March 27	April 2
Osaka	March 30	March 27	March 28	April 3
Nara	April 1	March 27	March 29	April 2
Kobe	March 30	March 30	March 27	April 3
Hiroshima	March 29	March 22	March 22	April 3
Takamatsu	March 30	March 28	March 27	April 1
Matsuyama	March 28	March 23	March 24	April 1
Fukuoka	March 26	March 21	March 23	March 29
Kumamoto	March 24	March 23	March 20	April 1
Kagoshima	March 26	March 30	March 20	April 3
Naha	January 19	January 23	January 13	January 19

The data is according to the Japan Meteorological Agency and refers to Somei Yoshino cherry trees, except in the case of Sapporo (Ezoyamazakura) and Naha (Hikanzakura).

Taken From ===<Click Here>===