Sakura season sweeps Japan from late March to mid-May, south to north. This page tells you where blossoms are open today — and, just as importantly, where they've already fallen — so you don't plan a trip around trees that are bare.
Most "cherry blossom forecast" pages give you one predicted full-bloom date months ahead and never update. But blossoms last barely a week per spot, and a rainy day can end them early. What you actually need on the ground is simple: is it open where I'm going, right now — and if I'm a few days late, where can I still catch it? That's the only question this site is built to answer.
Live ranking of the spots at their best across all of Japan, updated through the day. Each spot shows its current stage (first bloom → peak → falling → leaves) and links to live photos from the last 72 hours.
| Region | Typical peak | Live status |
|---|---|---|
| Kyushu / Shikoku / Chugoku | Late Mar – early Apr | Kyushu · Shikoku · Chugoku |
| Tokyo / Kansai (Kyoto, Osaka) | Late Mar – early Apr | Tokyo · Kyoto/Kansai |
| Chubu (Nagano, Kanazawa) | Early – mid Apr | Chubu |
| Tohoku (Hirosaki, Kakunodate) | Mid – late Apr | Tohoku |
| Hokkaido (Sapporo, Matsumae) | Late Apr – early May | Hokkaido |
Because the bloom front moves south-to-north over about six weeks, your dates and your destination matter together. Pick your region and we'll show its expected first-bloom and full-bloom window, based on long-term averages and the official JMA forecast — clearly labelled as a forecast, never mixed up with today's live status.
Maybe not. When Tokyo finishes, the north is just starting — Tohoku and Hokkaido routinely peak two to four weeks later, and late-blooming varieties (yaezakura, weeping cherries) carry the season further still. Check a northern region or late varieties before you give up.
We'll tell you honestly. When a region is past peak, we say so — and point you north to where the front has moved. Season runs late March through mid-May; outside that window you'll see off-season status clearly labelled.
Anyone can post a pretty photo. The hard part is knowing whether a blossom is open today. Here's how we keep it honest:
JapanSakura.live — live cherry-blossom status across all of Japan. Status is built from official JMA declarations and recent on-the-ground reports, refreshed every two hours through the season. We label forecasts as forecasts and never show stale photos as current.