Early-blooming sakura arrives in Japanese town, hitting S'poreans with travel envy

Spring didn't come early, but the sakura did.

Tsiuwen Yeo | Belmont Lay | February 23, 2017, 09:42 AM

Sometime last week, about a month before sakura season in Japan, the pink flowers started to bloom in a small town about three hours from Tokyo.

・ ・ 2017FEB22 ・ 今日は「にゃんにゃんの日」? ・ 近々 また行けるってー♩(๑ˊᗜˋ๑) ・ オット 車中泊にハマってます?? ・ ⚠︎チワワはいません 笑!!! ・ ・ 撮影日 2017.02.16 ・ ・ #Kawazusakura #spring #instaview #bluesky #art_of_japan_ #キャノン#8000d #一眼レフ #高倍率ズーム #主婦カメラ #女子カメラ #カメラ好きな人と繋がりたい #ダレカニミセタイソラ #カワヅザクラ #河津桜 #河津桜まつり #桜 #見頃 #晴天 #また行きたい

A post shared by のん (@non.0729) on

Kawazu, located in Izu Peninsula, is home a to unique variety of sakura that blooms in the beginning of February. The cherry blossoms, called Kawazuzakura, last for about a month, compared to the usual sakura that blooms and wilts within one to two weeks.

If you're sick of the daily grind and love to travel to Japan like the maaaany Singaporeans who do, these pictures will hit you with a pang of wanderlust and have you scrambling to go fill out your leave application right now.

The early blooming cherry blossoms started to bloom? 河津桜満開?

A post shared by Genta (@gnta) on

河津桜キレイでした〜???

A post shared by @kogetinus on

母と河津に #河津桜

A post shared by ryoki kobayashi (@rrrrrrryoki) on

#河津桜 #河津桜祭り #河津 #桜 #sakura #サクラ

A post shared by zhengyan (@zzhengyyan) on

* 河津桜part4✌︎✌︎ ⚠️撮り鉄ではないのですが⚠️ こんな綺麗な桜の中を電車が走るなら もう撮るしかないよね??? . この電車は"踊り子?" 電車に乗ってゆーっくり旅行なんて してみたいな〜?? . #桜#河津桜#静岡#伊豆#日本#電車#踊り子#撮り鉄子#お花見#一眼レフ#ママカメラ#カメラ女子#単焦点#カメラ好きな人と繋がりたい#ファインダー越しの私の世界#mama#camera#pink #nikon#d5300#cherryblossom#shizuoka #izu#japan#train#odoriko#liver #love#instagood

A post shared by ❁Aya.S (@aya.chacooo) on

?

A post shared by Genta (@gnta) on

sakura-season

Every year, Japan’s cherry blossoms first appear in southern Japan, Okinawa, before moving northwards to Hokkaido by early May.

Really, it's no big secret that Singaporeans love travelling to Japan.

Statistics from Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) recorded 190,900 travellers from Singapore to Japan between January to August last year. During the December peak period, the number was 75,900, a 13 percent increase from 2015.

Other than the school holidays, another peak period where many Singaporeans escape from the daily monotony of life to Japan is between March and April during spring season, synonymous with the word that makes all our eyes sparkle -- sakura.

So if the pictures of Kawazu has inspired you to go see the cherry blossoms for yourself this spring, we'll be happy to provide you with 2017 cherry blossom forecast.

 

Place Estimated Average First Bloom Estimated Average Full Bloom
Okinawa Mid January Second Week of February
Kagoshima Late March

(30-03-2017)

Mid April

(06 to 14 April)

Nagasaki Late March

(26-03-2017)

Early April

(02 to 10 April)

Fukouka Late March

(25-03-2017)

Early April

(02 to 10 April)

Matsuyama Late March

(27-03-2017)

Early April

(04 to 12 April)

Hiroshima Late March

(28-03-2017)

Early April

(03 to 11 April)

Kyoto Late March (29-03-2017) Early April (04 to 12 April)
Osaka Late March

(29-03-2017)

Early April

(04 to 12 April)

Shizuoka Late March

(29-03-2017)

Early April

(02 to 10 April)

Nagoya Late March

(26-03-2017)

Early April

(02 to 10 April)

Yokohama Late March

(26-03-2017)

Early April

(02 to 10 April)

Kanazawa Early April

(04-04-2017)

Mid April

(08 to 16 April)

Tokyo Late March

(26-03-2017)

Early April

(02 to 10 April)

Nara Late March

(29-03-2017)

Early April

(04 to 12 April)

Niigata Early April

(07-04-2017)

Mid April

(12 to 18 April)

Nagano Early April

(08-04-2017)

Mid April

(11 to 20 April)

Fukushima Early April

(08-04-2017)

Mid April

(10 to 18 April)

Sendai Early April

(08-04-2017)

Mid April

(14 to 22 April)

Aomori April 22, 2017 April 26 to May 04, 2017
Akita Mid April

(18-04-2017)

April 22 to 26, 2017
Iwate Mid April

(14-04-2017)

April 18 to 24, 2017
Matsumae Late April

(26-04-2017)

Early May

(01 to 10 May)

Hakodate Late April

(29-04-2017)

Early May

(02 to 09 May)

Sapporo Early May

(02-05-2017)

Early May

(04 to 12 May)

Brb, going to apply for leave NAO.

 

Since you're here, how about another article?

These are the things property agents shouldn’t be doing when they represent you

5 actually watchable local films to check out right now… for free

 

Top image by Izu navi via Flickr Creative Commons

If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates.