Japan is back with a bang – or should I say, an elegant pink cloud. This spring is the first time in four years that foreign visitors will be able to experience Japan’s famous cherry blossom (sakura) season, and – with all the pent-up demand, delayed bookings and the fact that this year’s Easter holiday coincides with the cherry blossom season – there is huge demand from travelers from the UK to attend Japan’s biggest party.
“2013 is already looking like our busiest cherry blossom season ever,” said James Mundy of travel expert Japan InsideJapan Tours. “Our small group tours sell out well in advance, but we still tailor cultural adventures for travelers to make the most of the season.” He adds: “There is a good reason why everyone wants to go.”
The arrival of the cherry blossoms is a major national festival in Japan and is eagerly awaited (there is even a special blossom forecast in the TV weather forecast). The Japan Meteorological Corporation has predicted that most Somei Yoshino cherry trees will bloom this year around March 22-30 in Tokyo and March 27-28 in Kyoto, with the peak being reached on April 5.
As the pink buds sprout, domestic travelers and foreign visitors alike descend on Japan’s most photogenic attractions and parks; Locals, armed with blue tarps, roll out from under the trees for cozy hanami (cherry blossom) parties with friends and family—and a healthy dose of sake. It is impossible not to get sakura fever.
Flower Power: This spring, foreign visitors can experience Japan’s famous cherry blossom (sakura) season for the first time in four years amid the Covid pandemic. Above, the country’s Himeji Castle is shrouded in cherry blossoms
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Cherry blossom fever is most acute in Kyoto. Famous for its UNESCO-listed temples and shrines, with neighborhoods draped in weeping blossoms such as those of Daigo-ji Temple and Heian Shrine, Kyoto bustles with crowds filling its 60,000 rooms. In fact, custom luxury tour operators Abercrombie & Kent and Original Travel have suspended bookings for this period due to a shortage of premium Kyoto hotel rooms.
However, luxury travel agency Scott Dunn still offers a 12-night ‘Spring Japan’ itinerary of the best flower-viewing spots around the country, including Kyoto and the ‘Floating’ Torii Gate on Miyajima (from £13,800pp). “Tokyo is very busy, but finding accommodation is less of a problem there; Kyoto is the most difficult piece of the puzzle,” says Mundy. “We often stop selling cherry blossoms towards the end of February as places all over Kyoto fill their spaces. Now there is still availability, but time is running out.’
CONSIDER INDIRECT FLIGHTS
Finnair is resuming the route from Helsinki to Osaka on March 26, just in time for the flowers to arrive in Kyoto (above).
Tradition: A Japanese Girl in Kyoto
Flights to Japan are also very crowded – and expensive – during the cherry blossom season. Fare increases (including the fuel surcharge for flights in Russia) have pushed return flights from London to more than £1,500 from around £600 before the pandemic. There are also fewer direct connections, so you may have to fly indirectly. Cathay Pacific is currently offering a return flight from Heathrow to Japan (via Hong Kong) for £769, including dates until the end of March (winter sale ends 31 January 2023). Meanwhile, Finnair is re-establishing its route from Helsinki to Osaka on March 26, just in time for the blossoms to arrive in Kyoto.
“Airfare goes up as the departure dates get closer, so I recommend booking as soon as possible to get the best price on your vacation,” says Cassie Stickland, product manager at tour operator Titan Travel. She is currently reporting availability for Titan’s 15-day Essence of Japan tour departures to Honshu in March and April, but cautions travelers to book now “because we expect it to sell out.”
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Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ 14-day “Sushi, Sake and Shimizu” cruise docks in Kobe (pictured) in March, perfect for travelers wanting to see the flowers in Kyoto and Himeji
See the famously curious deer in the beautiful parks of the ancient city of Nara
If you’ve made plans to see the blossoms in Kyoto but can’t find a place to stay, consider staying in Osaka, which is just 15 minutes away by bullet train. You can also bring the temple backdrop to your cherry blossom shoots in the ancient city of Nara, just 35 minutes by train from Kyoto. There you’ll find similarly beautiful parks, Nara’s famously curious deer, and a giant “Sakura Buddha” statue draped in pink at Tsubosaka-dera Temple. Or avoid pinching accommodations altogether by going on a cruise. A handful of cruise ships have returned to Japan this year, and the ports of Osaka and Kobe are convenient gateways to Kyoto. Princess Cruises has availability on its 18-day Kyushu, Shikoku and Japan Explorer Spring Flowers itinerary, a deep dive into Japan departing Tokyo on March 24 and arriving in Osaka from 4 £4,454 pp, sold out inside cabins). Meanwhile, Holland America Line’s Westerdam docks in Osaka on 1 April as part of the 14-day Japan Explorer (from £2,459 per person) and Regent Seven’s 14-day Sushi, Sake and Shimizu cruise Seas docks in Kobe on 30 and 31 March (from £11,849 pp) – perfect for Kyoto, but also for Himeji, whose White Heron Castle will be in full bloom.
FOLLOW THE SAKURA ZENSEN
Outside of Kyoto, Japan is full of beautiful pink off-peak destinations. The sakura zensen – “Cherry Blossom Front” – sweeps across the country like a weather system, causing trees to bloom in different places at different times – from Kyushu at the end of March to Hokkaido at the end of April. In Kanazawa, two and a half hours from Tokyo by bullet train, the cherry blossoms arrive 10 days later than Tokyo and Kyoto, while the city has a similar cultural atmosphere to Kyoto, with samurai houses, teahouses, gardens and even geishas.
Bespoke tour operator Red Savannah is still taking bookings for spring blossom tours in Kanazawa (including at one of Japan’s most beautiful gardens, Kenroku-en), but hits Tokyo and Kyoto after the rush. “Planning the flowers a little later and further north can save money in Kyoto and Tokyo when the large number of local tourists have gone home,” says Ed Granville, chief operating officer and Japan specialist.
Trees in different places bloom at different times – for example in Hokkaido (photo) the trees bloom at the end of April
SWAP THE SPRING FOR FALL
Spring has no monopoly on the majesty of nature in Japan: the autumn leaf-viewing season is an equally beautiful time to see the country and worth considering. The so-called koyo season is celebrated just as reverently, but more quietly and with fewer crowds. InsideJapan Tours offers a 14-day self-guided ‘Autumn Revelry’ cruise, crossing Kyoto and Tokyo and the Japanese Alps, from late October to early December (from £2,810 pp). Meanwhile, Original Travel’s 15-day Autumn Highlights of Japan itinerary includes two full days in Kyoto and green spots in Kanazawa (from £4,700pp).
BOOK NOW FOR 2024
Or it’s always cherry blossom time 2024! Book now, you have the choice between travel and potential savings. Titan Travel’s Spring 2024 itineraries – including a new 21-day Grand Tour of Japan – are already on sale (from £6,999pp), with a ‘Price Promise’ guarantee that early bookers will be refunded the difference in vouchers advertised if they book later holidays for less.
InsideJapan Tours has just launched its small group tours to Japan Spring 2024 to a sizable waiting list of travelers looking to check cherry blossoms in Japan off their bucket list. The message is: Act now if you want to be part of it.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
