2026 Cherry Blossom Front Moves North to Tohoku
As of March 29, 2026, cherry blossoms have bloomed in Tokyo and Nagoya, with the front now heading north toward Tohoku and Hokkaido.
The 2026 cherry blossom front has entered a northward phase, moving from central Honshu toward southern Tohoku. According to the blooming forecast updated at 1:00 PM on March 29, 2026, by the Japan Weather Association's tenki.jp, blossoms have already opened in Tokyo (March 19), Nagoya (March 17), Hiroshima (March 19), Kochi (March 16), Kyoto (March 23), and Osaka (March 26). In major cities of western and eastern Japan, the main focus of cherry blossom viewing is shifting from "waiting for them to bloom" to "how not to miss the peak."
Meanwhile, the front's northward progress continues. As of the same day, tenki.jp forecasts blooming dates of March 29 for Fukushima, March 30 for Sendai, April 12 for Aomori, April 24 for Sapporo, and May 7 for Kushiro. The center of blooming will move from Tohoku to Hokkaido going forward. True to the term "cherry blossom front," the band of blooming pushing up the archipelago from south to north is very visible this year.
This year's characteristic is that many locations in eastern and northern Japan are blooming earlier than average. In its third forecast released on March 18, 2026, the Japan Weather Association summarized that western Japan is average or slightly early, while eastern and northern Japan are early in many places. This is backed by higher-than-average temperatures nationwide since February, which accelerated the growth of buds. With warm temperatures expected through late March, the front's progress in northern regions is unlikely to slow down.
The timing of full bloom also directly affects weekend crowds and travel demand. According to the full bloom forecast released at 1:00 PM on March 29, full bloom dates are March 28 for Tokyo, March 29 for Nagoya, March 29 for Kyoto, March 29 for Kochi, March 29 for Hiroshima, March 31 for Osaka, April 4 for Sendai, and April 28 for Sapporo. Peak viewing has already started in parts of Kanto, Tokai, and Kinki. The focus of flower viewing is highly likely to shift to southern Tohoku in the latter half of this week, followed by northern Tohoku and Hokkaido.
Under Japan Meteorological Agency standards, the blooming and full bloom dates are determined by the appearance of 5–6 or more flowers on a sample tree, and when about 80% or more of the buds have opened, respectively. In other words, observations are built on very clear rules, rather than subjective impressions seen on social media. As of late March, the 2026 cherry blossom front is at a stage of concurrently featuring peaks in western and eastern Japan and the upcoming season for Tohoku and northward. To follow the brief season, we have entered the phase of looking at "where it moves next" rather than "where it has bloomed."
Sources
Japan Weather Association tenki.jp Cherry Blossom Blooming/Full Bloom Spot Weather Information 2026
Japan Weather Association 2026 Cherry Blossom Blooming/Full Bloom Forecast (3rd Edition)
気象庁 生物季節観測の情報