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July 02, 2026
 

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SAKURA

Cherry blossoms along a road in Tokyo on Tuesday. The 2025 cherry blossom season is expected to have an economic impact of around ¥1.39 trillion on Japan.
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2025
Hanami season to have record ¥1.39 trillion economic impact on Japan
The estimate is 22.2% higher than last year’s ¥1.14 trillion, according to an annual report compiled by Kansai University economist Katsuhiro Miyamoto.
Blooms are seen on the Meteorological Agency's sample cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2025
Cherry blossom season kicks off in Tokyo after warm weekend
At approximately 2 p.m. Monday, the Meteorological Agency announced that its reference Somei-Yoshino cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine was officially in bloom.
A Yoshino cherry tree in bloom in Kumamoto City's Nishi Ward on Sunday.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2025
Cherry blossoms bloom in Kumamoto and Kochi
Compared with last year, the blooming date was the same in Kochi and three days earlier in Kumamoto.
A Weathernews forecast shows the cherry blossom season will begin on March 21 in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2025
Cherry blossom season set to kick off on March 21 in Tokyo
Blossoms are expected to reach full bloom at a pace similar to or slightly faster than average years in western and eastern Japan.
Tokyo is expected to lead the season with its first cherry blossoms on March 21, followed by Fukuoka, Kochi and Hiroshima prefectures as well as the city of Yokohama on March 22.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2025
Cherry blossom season predicted to begin in Tokyo on March 21
This year’s cherry blossom season is expected to align with or slightly precede historical averages in western and eastern Japan.
Cherry blossom viewers at Notokashima Station in Ishikawa Prefecture on Saturday
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2024
Train station in quake-hit town crowded with cherry blossom viewers
Cherry trees line both sides of the station’s platforms, creating a stunning sight that has earned it the nickname the “cherry blossom tunnel.”
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife Yuko Kishida attend an event to pledge 250 new cherry blossom trees to Washington at the historic Tidal Basin on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2024
Japan to donate 250 new cherry blossom trees to U.S.
Around 3,700 cherry blossom trees at the Tidal Basin were donated by Tokyo in 1912 as a symbol of the friendship between Japan and the United States.
People visit to view cherry blossoms in full bloom at Chidorigafuchi, one of the moats around the Imperial Palace, in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2024
Tokyo crowds revel as cherry blossoms reach full bloom
The Meteorological Agency declared that Japan’s most common and popular Somei Yoshino variety of cherry tree was in full bloom.
People take photographs of cherry blossoms at a park in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 3, 2024
Hanami budgets soar as cherry blossoms sweep Japan
People are spending the most on cherry blossom viewings in six years, with more traveling for the annual event, a survey has found.
Cherry blossoms bloom at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 31, 2024
Tokyo marks final day of March with record high temperature for month
Cherry blossoms in the capital finally burst into bloom on Friday, marking the latest blooming in over a decade.
Jin-Oh Hyun searches for wild king cherry trees and their relatives on Geoje Island, off the coast of South Korea, on March 22.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 30, 2024
Wanted in South Korea: imperialism-free cherry blossoms
Activists want to replace a variety of cherry tree associated with the Japanese colonial era with one they say is Korean. The science is messy.
Cherry blossoms in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on Friday
JAPAN / Society
Mar 29, 2024
Cherry blossoms bloom in Tokyo, 15 days later than last year
This year’s blooming is the latest in the capital since 2012, when they were declared to have blossomed on March 31.
Two people try to take a selfie under the illuminated cherry blossoms in Kyoto’s Gion district last year.
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 25, 2024
Sakura stories revisited: Getting in the mood for hanami
We are revisiting some past content on the science, economics and culture of cherry blossom season.
On Saturday, this season's first cherry blossoms were seen on Somei-Yoshino trees in Kochi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2024
Kochi becomes first prefecture to see cherry blossoms bloom in 2024
It is the first time in six years that Kochi has seen the earliest cherry blossom blooms in the country.
During cherry blossom season, lunchtime thoughts turn to outdoor picnicking, and savory sakura-flavored rice bundles are the perfect choice.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Mar 23, 2024
Cherry blossoms are just as beautiful on a plate as a branch
With Tokyo’s cherry blossom season imminent, the tree takes center stage in sweet and savory dishes alike.
Kumamoto-based sakura researcher Toshio Katsuki says Japan's interpretations of the cherry tree have evolved over the course of history.
COMMUNITY / 20 QUESTIONS
Mar 22, 2024
Toshio Katsuki: ‘The cherry blossoms have been my vehicle to find new relationships’
A sakura researcher tells us what drew him to the flowering trees, how their significance has changed over time and his tips on the best way to enjoy them.
A woman takes pictures with Kawazu cherry blossom trees, one of the earliest to bloom in Japan, in Tokyo's Sumida district on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 15, 2024
Economic impact of hanami expected to double this year
Higher tourist numbers and prices, along with a depreciation of the Japanese currency, are among factors contributing to the larger economic impact.
The Japanese word "hanami," literally means “flower viewing.” But, a hanami gathering is more than that: It can be a picnic, a drinking party or an occasion to read poetry.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 15, 2024
We invite you to get ready for this year’s cherry blossom parties
Asking people to a party is made easy in Japanese with a few basic sentence structures. Taking your leave from a party is just as simple.
The 2024 cherry blossom forecast released Thursday
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2024
Cherry blossoms expected to bloom in Tokyo on March 17
The earlier-than-usual blossoming is attributed to higher than average temperatures across the country over the past few months, particularly this month.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 12, 2024
Japan’s 2024 cherry blossom season expected to arrive earlier than usual
Due to higher-than-usual temperatures in November and December, western and eastern Japan will most likely see cherry blossoms bloom early.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Reform panel calls for easing data center building standards
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi emphasized that the government will promote reforms of regulations and systems that fit the artificial intelligence era.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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