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Edited on February 25th.
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Here is the latest forecast from Tenki.jp! Looks like things will be a little early this year with Tokyo and Kyoto around March 25th.

Currently, more than 2,466,000 divinities are enshrined here at Yasukuni Shrine. These are souls of men who made ultimate sacrifice for their nation since 1853 during national crises such as the Boshin War, the Seinan War, the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars, World War I, the Manchurian Incident, the China Incident and the Greater East Asian War (World War II). These people, regardless of their rank or social standing, are considered to be completely equal and worshiped as venerable divinities of Yasukuni.

So again, why all this controversy?
What the website fails to mention is that also enshrined are over 1000 convicted war criminals, including more than 10 “Class A” criminals (whatever that means). I really don’t wanna get into it, so, if you are interested in reading more about that, both BBC and CNN have articles on the subject.

Hi – just saw your blog on the 2008 Cherry Blossom forecast. The map says March 25th for Tokyo. Do you have an idea if this is the peak date or the blossom date, when they first start? I was told that once they start, its 7 days until peak, and another 7 days until they are gone. I tried to plan a trip there this year and wanted to be there when it peaks. If the 25th is the first day, then they will peak around April 1 …. But maybe the 25th is the peak date? What do you think, based on the way they word it on the page?

I just thought it might be useful to answer the question here. Basically the dates that are given for the forecast are the estimated blooming date, in other words the day they are expected to start opening. And yes, once they start it is about 7 days until they are in full bloom or “100%” but this can be different for every tree. As far as how long they are in bloom, this depends a lot on the weather. If there is a hard rain or strong winds, this could drastically reduce the amount of days that the sakura (cherry blossoms) are in full bloom. The 2008 cherry blossom forecast could change (as it usually does slightly) so my best advice would be plan to arrive a couple days after the start date, stay for a few days and hope you get lucky!

Now that the Sapporo Snow Festival is over, the next major thing to look forward to is the blooming of the cherry blossoms trees. Below is the first released forecast for the 2008 cherry blossom season from tenki.jp. The site is in Japanese, but here is google’s translation which you might be able to make some sense out of. Keep in mind that cherry blossom forecasts are not an exact science and are very subject to change.

Basically because of a warm winter, they are expecting earlier than usual blooming dates. Also be sure to check out sakurazensen if you can read Japanese, or try your look with google’s translation if you can’t. Just so you know, sakura zensen means cherry blossom forecast, so if you wanna do your own research you can google the kanji “桜前線” or try sakura zensen. Here is my previous post about cherry blossoms in general.

UPDATE 2.19 Weathernews.jp has released their own forecast.

UPDATE 3.6 Now the Japan Meteorology Agency has released their forcast.

“The hardest place to find beauty is in your own backyard.”
–somebody smart

I believe this is one of the fundamental truths not only with photography but in life. Actually, when you think about it, it is saying the same thing as that quote about grass being greener… I know this is a travel photo travel blog, but sometimes we need to be reminded that what we are looking for can sometimes be right in front of us. Anyway, this post is to remind you, to go and search and “travel” the area where you live.

For example, during cherry blossom season, I traveled all over the Kansai region in hopes of getting some great photos, but as it turns out, some of my favorite photos from the 2007 cherry blossom season were taken about 10 minutes from where I live, in my own backyard.

Wanna see the other photography tips and tricks?

The winter of 2006-2007 has been much warmer than usual and the Asahi Shimbun is reporting that this year could set a record for the earliest blooming of sakura in Japan. In an article about the sakura forecast for 2007, the Asahi Shimbun says:

Cherry blossoms, nature’s way of saying spring is here, are likely to burst into bloom nationwide four to five days earlier than usual, a private meteorological company predicts.

On a related note, sakurazensen.com (sakura zensen means cherry blossom forecast) has some interesting graphs. Even if you cannot read Japanese like me, you can kind of understand what is going on. Where the line for the year hits the pink line, that is expected bloom date.

Also be sure to check out this table for average temperates in Tokyo by year/month and their respective bloom dates.

If you can choose anytime of the year to come to Japan, cherry blossom season is the best time (also fall is a great time). During this time, the seasonal flowers can be seen all over Japan and make for great photos. The 2007 cherry blossom forecast will be released around late February or early March and can be seen at the site of the Japan Meteorology Agency.

When the winters are mild (like the winter of 2007 is) the cherry blossom trees tend to bloom a little earlier than normal. While the forecasts are usually pretty close, like the weather, when cherry blossoms bloom are still slightly unpredictable! Also, different factors such as how much sun a tree gets, play a large role as well.

Friends, co-workers and family participate in Hanami (literally meaning “flower watching”). Hanami consists of reserving a space (sometimes as early as the day before in crowded places like Tokyo) with a tarp or blanket, where there are many cherry blossom trees and then having a picnic under the blossoming flowers. Usually large consumptions of alcohol is consumed. Here is an example of hanami.

Cherry blossom or in Japanese, sakura, is Japan’s most famous flower. Sakura bloom once a year starting as early as February in some places in Okinawa and slowly move north. The Kansai (Kyoto, Osaka, Himeji) and Kanto (Tokyo) regions tend to start blooming around late March or early April. Tohoku and Hokkaido in late April to May. About a week after a cherry blossom tree first starts to bloom, the tree will be in full bloom for only a couple of days before they start lose their blossoms.