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.