People travel to Japan years in advance to see a single season for a reason. Japan’s spring, which lasts from late March to early May, is the kind of stuff that lingers long after the jet lag has subsided and the pictures have faded. I’m not referring to lovely parks and pleasant weather, though these are abundant.
I’m referring to a nation where breathtaking beauty, delicious cuisine, and age-old customs all seem to come together at once after winter. I’ll spare you the suspense if you’re unsure if visiting Japan in the spring is worth the excitement and the plane ticket: it most definitely is.
When to Go and What to Expect
Japan doesn’t experience spring all at once. Depending on where you wish to go, the time of your vacation is important because the season moves gradually from south to north. While Tokyo and Kyoto are usually in full bloom by late March to early April, Kyushu and the southern part of Honshu begin to warm up around mid-March. The same energy can be found from late April to May if you travel further north to Tohoku or Hokkaido.
Depending on the location and time of day, you can expect temperatures between 10°C and 20°C (50°F and 68°F). Layering is your best friend because it’s jacket weather in the morning and shirt-sleeve weather in the afternoon. Additionally, bring a lightweight rain jacket because spring showers are frequent.
Spring is the busiest travel season, so be prepared for that. Japan’s series of national holidays, known as “Golden Week,” which takes place from late April to early May, attracts huge crowds both domestically and abroad. Purchase your lodging and bullet train tickets well in advance, particularly if you plan to travel during that time.
The Cherry Blossom Experience
Let’s talk about cherry blossom, because it deserves its own spotlight. It’s difficult to put into words unless you’re standing there, but it seems truly significant to watch petals float through the air like pink snow while people sit beneath the branches with sake and bento boxes during these flowers’ brief one to two-week bloom.
One of the most common mistakes first-time visitors make is arriving either too early or too late to catch the full bloom. Peak sakura lasts only around 7 to 10 days, and it varies by city and region. Before booking your flights, it’s worth checking a reliable Japan cherry blossom season guide to know exactly when to be where, especially if you’re planning to cover Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka in one trip.
Maruyama Park in Kyoto is a favorite for flower watching because of its enormous weeping cherry tree, which is attractively illuminated at night. Another popular spot in Tokyo is Shinjuku Gyoen, which is usually a little less chaotic than Ueno Park, the main hanami hub that gets quite crowded. The philosopher’s road in Kyoto, a stone walkway bordered by hundreds of cherry trees along a canal, is one of the most serene locations to see the blooms without the crowds.
Don’t miss the opportunity to see cherry blossoms at night. The whole scene changes dramatically when trees are lit up against a pitch-black sky; it becomes more atmospheric and theatrical. One of the best places in the nation for this is Hirosaki Castle in Aomori Prefecture, which blooms a little later than most—usually in late April—making it a fantastic choice if you miss the peak in Tokyo or Kyoto.
What Else to Do in Spring
As spectacular as sakura season is, Japan has a ton to offer in spring.
Get Out to the Countryside
One of the finest seasons to visit rural Japan is in the spring, when the crowds are much smaller than in the cities. With its UNESCO-listed farmhouses and mountain backdrops, the Shirakawa-go region of Gifu Prefecture is breathtaking in the spring when everything turns green, and the snow has just melted. About 30% of all cherry blossom images you’ve ever seen come from the Fuji Five Lakes area, which is close to Mount Fuji and offers famous vistas of the top with cherry blossoms in the foreground. To avoid the tour groups, arrive early in the morning.
Festivals and Celebrations
Spring is when Japan’s festival calendar really kicks up. One of Japan’s three major festivals, the Takayama Spring Festival takes place in April in a wonderfully preserved Edo-period town in the highlands and includes elaborate floats with mechanical puppets. Every city and town in the nation hosts some sort of cherry blossom festival too.
One of the nation’s oldest and most exquisite processions, the Aoi Matsuri takes place in mid-May in Kyoto. Participants in Heian-era court robes march from the Imperial Palace to the Shimogamo and Kamigamo shrines.
Eat Seasonally
In Japan, springtime means eating in season, and the Japanese take this very seriously. Look for takenoko, or bamboo shoots, in everything. Throughout April, they can be found in rice dishes, tempura, miso soup, and simmered foods. Japanese strawberries are incredibly delicious, and strawberry season is well underway. Sakura-flavored desserts like mochi and lattes are ubiquitous during blossom season, and matcha-flavored everything intensifies as well. If you haven’t already, try a sakura mochi, which tastes just like spring and is a sticky rice cake with a sweet red bean filling wrapped in a pickled cherry leaf.
Hit the Temples and Shrines
Kyoto’s temples are always worth visiting, but in spring they reach a different level. After spring rains, the moss at Saiho-ji (the Moss Temple) is abundant and quite surreal. In contrast to the desolate winter environment, the stone garden at Ryoanji appears entirely different, surrounded by vegetation. The grounds of Nijo Castle are covered in flowers. Every known location in Kyoto feels entirely different in the spring, even if you’ve been there before.
Tips Before You Go
Here are some things you should know before you travel. The IC card, a rechargeable transit card that may be used on buses and trains in the majority of Japan, is crucial. You’ll save a ton of time purchasing tickets at each station if you load them up at the airport. The most popular ones, Suica and Pasmo, can now be added as digital cards to your iPhone or Android smartphone.
In large cities, lodging often fills up in the spring. Make reservations three to six months in advance, if at all feasible, if you choose to stay in a central area of Kyoto or Tokyo during the height of the blossom season. Traditional Japanese lodgings, or ryokans, are worth treating yourself to at least once. One of those travel experiences that is truly difficult to top is the combination of tatami floors, kaiseki meals, and an outdoor hot spring bath after a strenuous day of walking.
Lastly, get a Japanese SIM card or a pocket wifi device at the airport. Compared to many other nations, navigation in Japan is actually rather easy, but when you’re trying to figure out which exit to take at a 30-platform train station, having data is really helpful.
