Cherry blossom, fresh green, and the easiest weather of the year.
These are the places the prefecture pages name for this season. Each one links to its own page, with opening times, prices and a MAP button.
Pick the season first, then the place.
| Prefecture | March – May |
|---|---|
| Aichi | Cherry blossom around the castle in early April. Comfortable, dry weather. |
| Akita | Deep snow into April. Kakunodate’s weeping cherries in late April are the peak of the year here. |
| Aomori | Snow into April. Cherry blossom at the castle in late April — among the last in the country. |
| Chiba | Warm early. The temple grounds are at their best, and flowers are grown all along the southern coast. |
| Ehime | Cherry blossom at the castle in early April, and the best cycling weather of the year. |
| Fukui | Cherry blossom at Maruoka Castle in early April. Calm seas along the cliffs. |
| Fukuoka | Plum blossom at Dazaifu in late February and March, cherry blossom in early April. The best months to be here. |
| Fukushima | Snow into April in the mountains. Cherry blossom in mid-to-late April, including a famous thousand-year-old tree at Miharu. |
| Gifu | Snow leaves the villages in April. Fresh green in Takayama in May, and the spring festival. |
| Gunma | Snow leaves the valleys in April. Fresh green in May, and the highland roads reopen. |
| Hiroshima | Cherry blossom on Miyajima in early April, with the deer under the trees. The best season here. |
| Hokkaido | Snow lasts into April. Cherry blossom is early May here — the last in Japan, sometimes with snow behind it. |
| Hyogo | Cherry blossom around Himeji Castle in early April — white castle, pink trees, and it is worth the crowd. |
| Ibaraki | Plum from late February, then nemophila from late April into early May — the two reasons to come. |
| Ishikawa | Cherry blossom around the castle in early April. Mild, and the crafts workshops are busy. |
| Iwate | Snow into April inland. Cherry blossom around late April, with mountains still white behind it. |
| Kagawa | The best season. Cherry blossom in Ritsurin, calm seas for the island ferries. |
| Kagoshima | Warm and green. The clearest views of the volcano before the summer haze. |
| Kanagawa | Cherry blossom in Kamakura in early April. Hydrangea at the temples from late May. |
| Kochi | Warm early and very green. The best months for the river and the coast road. |
| Kumamoto | Cherry blossom at the castle in early April. The grassland on Aso is burned in March and comes back bright green by May — the best month for the caldera. |
| Kyoto | Cherry blossom in early April — the busiest week of the Kyoto year. Book months ahead or come in May instead. |
| Mie | Mild and green. The shrine forest is at its best, and the coast is calm. |
| Miyagi | Cherry blossom in mid-April. Sendai is mild for the region, and the bay is calm. |
| Miyazaki | Warm early. The coast road is at its best, and the gorge is green and full. |
| Nagano | Snow lingers into April in the mountains. Takato’s cherry trees are mid-April, and Kamikochi opens. |
| Nagasaki | Mild and clear. Cherry blossom in early April, and the hillsides are at their greenest. |
| Nara | Yoshino from early to late April, in stages. The park is green and the deer have fawns in June. |
| Niigata | Snow lasts into April in the mountains. Rice paddies are flooded and mirror-flat in May. |
| Oita | Grassland is burned in spring and comes back green in May. The best month for the highway. |
| Okayama | Cherry blossom along the canal at Kurashiki. Dry, mild and the clearest light of the year. |
| Okinawa | Warm from March. The sea is swimmable from late April, and it is quieter than summer. |
| Osaka | Cherry blossom around the castle in early April. Warm, and the streets are at their best. |
| Saga | Tea fields turn bright green in May. Cherry blossom at Karatsu Castle in early April. |
| Saitama | Cherry blossom in early April, then moss phlox in mid-to-late April. The busiest weeks here. |
| Shiga | Cherry blossom along the moat at Hikone in early April. Clear views across the lake. |
| Shimane | Cherry blossom around Matsue Castle. Mild, and the coast is at its clearest. |
| Shizuoka | New tea is picked from late April, and it is the one time of year to drink it fresh here. |
| Tochigi | Snow leaves the upper lake in April. Strawberries from January to May, and fresh green by late May. |
| Tokushima | Fresh green in the Iya Valley, and the calmest weather for the boats at Naruto. |
| Tokyo | Cherry blossom in late March and early April, along the rivers and in the parks. The best two weeks of the Tokyo year. |
| Tottori | The dunes are comfortable to climb before the sand gets hot. Green on Daisen from May. |
| Toyama | The snow walls open in mid-April and last into June. The single best reason to come. |
| Wakayama | The best walking season. Cherry blossom on the plateau is later than the coast, in mid-April. |
| Yamagata | Snow into April. Cherry blossom mid-to-late April, and the mountain temples reopen fully. |
| Yamaguchi | Cherry blossom at Kintaikyo in early April. Clear, mild weather along the coast. |
| Yamanashi | Cherry blossom with the mountain in mid-April, later than Tokyo. Grape vines come into leaf in May. |
