News On Japan
Society

Cherry blossom forecast 2020 released! Sakura season shifts to new start time in Tokyo this year

Jan 10, 2020 | News On Japan

Jan 10, 2020 (soranews24.com) - Japan’s cherry blossoms are its most iconic symbol of spring, and if you’re planning a trip to the country, plenty of people will tell you that the most beautiful time to come is during sakura season.

But while we get three months of spring, the sakura themselves are only in full bloom for about a week, so thankfully Japanese weather forecasting company Nihon Kisho has just released its initial cherry blossom forecast for 2020.

In the popular imagination, the peak sakura bloom occurs in April, and the mental association is so strong that a Google image search for “April” in Japanese (4月 ) turns up a virtual blizzard of pink petals.

But if you’re hoping to see the sakura in Tokyo this year, you’ll want to get here before April even starts. Nihon Kishu’s calculations are predicting a warm early spring, and the organization says that cherry blossoms will begin to open in Tokyo on March 19, seven days earlier than average for the capital, with full bloom happening the following week, on March 27.

As a matter of fact, Nihon Kisho expects sakura season to arrive three or four days earlier than usual in just about all of Japan, with predicated dates for blossom opening and full bloom in other prefectures being:

● Kochi: March 19/March 27

● Fukuoka: March 20/March 29

● Aichi: March 21/March 30

● Hiroshima: March 22/April 1

● Kyoto: March 23/April 1

● Wakayama: March 24/April 1

● Osaka: March 25/April 1

● Kagoshima: March 25/April 5

● Ishikawa: April 1/April 7

● Miyagi: April 7/April 12

● Nagano: April 9/April 14

● Aomori: April 23/April 27

● Hokkaido: May 1/May 5

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Typhoon No. 15 Disrupts Obon Travel as ANA Cancels 58 Flights

Typhoon No. 15 (Chan-hom) began causing significant disruption to Japan's Obon holiday travel on August 11, with ANA canceling 58 flights serving Haneda and Narita airports, JAL canceling four flights, and JR East suspending some services on the Joban Line as the storm approached eastern Japan.

Typhoon No. 15 Set to Make Landfall in Kanto Tonight

Typhoon No. 15 (Chan-hom) is expected to make landfall near Ibaraki Prefecture between around 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on August 11, bringing rapidly strengthening winds, high waves and heavy rain to parts of Kanto and southern Tohoku, with unsettled weather potentially continuing even after the storm moves inland.

H3 Rocket No. 9 Successfully Launches Japan GPS Satellite

Japan's H3 Rocket No. 9 successfully placed the Michibiki No. 7 navigation satellite into its planned orbit after lifting off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 4:23 a.m. on August 11, marking the country's second consecutive successful H3 launch.

Tokaido Shinkansen Runs First Overnight Service

The Tokaido Shinkansen operated its first overnight service ahead of the Obon holiday period, offering travelers a 15,000 yen trip from the Tokyo area to Kyoto and Shin-Osaka while allowing them to save on hotel costs and arrive earlier than the first regular morning trains.

Typhoon No. 15 to Disrupt Travel on August 11

Typhoon No. 15 is expected to approach and likely make landfall somewhere in the Kanto region on August 11, bringing strong winds and heavy rain that could disrupt conventional rail services, expressways and flights while also affecting a wider area extending into Tohoku.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         
MORE Society NEWS

Osaka Police Pound on Door Before Raiding Yakuza Office

Osaka Prefectural Police searched an office linked to the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, on July 29 as part of an investigation into suspected receipt of money obtained through special fraud.

Zombie Cigarette Drug Busts Rise Across Kansai

Authorities in Kyoto and Osaka have arrested three men in separate drug cases involving so-called zombie cigarettes containing the designated drug etomidate, as investigators step up efforts against the illegal trade in the Kansai region.

Raccoon Damage Surges Across Japan

Raccoons are increasingly invading homes across Japan, damaging roofs and wiring, contaminating buildings with large amounts of urine and feces, and raising concerns over agriculture, native wildlife and the spread of disease as their population continues to expand.

令和8年8月8日 Sparks Wedding Events Across Japan

Japan marked August 8, 2026, with a wave of weddings, special discounts and commemorative events as the date produced a rare alignment of three eights - the eighth day of the eighth month in Reiwa 8 - a combination regarded as especially auspicious because the character for eight is traditionally associated with expanding prosperity.

Woman Arrested Over Fatal Assault on Brother-in-Law

A 41-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of fatally assaulting her brother-in-law at her home in Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture, after allegedly telling emergency services that he had fallen from a roof.

Imperial Family Enjoys Nasu Retreat

The Emperor and his family are spending time at the Nasu Imperial Villa in Tochigi Prefecture as the retreat marks 100 years since its establishment, with the visit coming as debate in the Diet over revisions related to the Imperial House Law enters a critical stage.

The Case of the Missing Kappa

Two kappa statues that served as symbols of a bridge in Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture, have been stolen after being cherished by local residents for 34 years, with police investigating whether the thieves targeted the sculptures for their copper.

Man Arrested for Selling Stolen Bridge Nameplates

A 63-year-old man from Shizuoka Prefecture has been arrested on suspicion of selling 10 stolen metal plaques, including nameplates bearing the names of bridges, to a scrap metal dealer in Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture.