March 09, 2017, 09:54 PM 
Every year, Japan’s cherry blossoms first appear in February or March in southern Japan, Okinawa, before moving northwards to Hokkaido by early May.
The blooming of bright cherry blossoms, otherwise known as sakura, coincides with spring.
And in 2017, sakura season has come early to Japan.
In mid-February this year, about a month before regular cherry blossom season in Japan, the pink flowers started to bloom in a small town about three hours from Tokyo.
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.
And 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 2016.
During the December peak period, the number was 75,900, a 13 percent increase from 2015.
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) |
But if you can't make it to Japan, the closest you can get to cherry blossoms is at the Gardens by the Bay Flower Dome, which will be available until March 24, 2017.
Related article:
Cherry blossoms available at Gardens by the Bay until March 24, 2017
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