Planning a trip to Japan?

You might want to check out a forecast by the Japanese Meteorological Corporation (JMC), on when you can expect to see sakuras blooming across the country.

JMC shared their first cherry blossom forecast on Jan. 10, 2024, with expected flowering and full bloom dates for the flowers at over 1,000 viewing locations across Japan.

Tokyo's sakuras expected on Mar. 23

The earliest you can expect to see the iconic pink-and-white flowers would be on Mar. 18 in Kochi, on the island of Shikoku. They are forecast to reach full bloom eight days later.

The capital, Tokyo, is expected to welcome the cherry blossoms on Mar. 23, with full bloom a week later.

In Osaka, one can expect to see sakuras on Mar. 25 and experience them in full bloom on Apr. 1.

Sapporo, Hokkaido, will likely be the latest to see the flowers, with the flowering date forecasted to be May 2 and full bloom on May 6.

Here are the flowering dates for other popular destinations across Japan:

Fukuoka

• Forecast flowering date: Mar. 21
• Forecast full bloom date: Mar. 30

Nagoya

• Forecast flowering date: Mar. 21
• Forecast full bloom date: Mar. 31

Kyoto

• Forecast flowering date: Mar. 23
• Forecast full bloom date: Apr. 1

The forecast will be next updated on Jan. 25, JMC said.

Many factors influence flowering, full bloom dates

JMC said the flowering and full bloom dates of the cherry blossoms depend on the previous autumn's temperature patterns.

Factors that are taken into account for the forecast include low temperatures during autumn and winter, cherry tree growth status, cumulative temperatures, and past data for each area.

The buds of cherry blossoms develop into fully grown flowers in just a few weeks, through a series of six stages.

In the penultimate stage, fluffy white and pink petals can be seen, before the final stage where the flower blooms fully.

For more regular updates on the status of cherry blossom flowering in Japan, you can check out JMC's website.

The website is updated daily at 9am.

Or for Singapore's version:

Top image from Unsplash.