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April 01, 2026
 

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SAKURA

Flowering cherry blossoms and buds from a sample Somei Yoshino cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo earlier this month
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2026
Cherry blossoms are now in full bloom in Tokyo
The Japan Meteorological Agency's announcement came three days earlier than average and two days earlier than last year.
Haiku and paintings on the theme of cherry blossoms by elementary school students from Japan and the U.S. are displayed in Washington on Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2026
Cherry blossom haiku and art by Japanese and U.S. children on show in Washington
The exhibition marks Japan's gifting of 250 cherry blossom trees to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States' founding this year.
A survey shows people in Japan plan to spend an average of ¥6,383 on cherry blossom viewing this year, down 13.8% from the previous year, amid consumer concern over inflation.
JAPAN
Mar 22, 2026
Average cherry blossom-viewing budget falls 13.8%
The survey also showed that about 10% of people plan to go to view cherry blossoms alone.
People enjoy a stroll through Inui Street at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2026
Imperial Palace street opened to public for spring season
The street is open to the public twice a year to coincide with the spring cherry blossom season and the autumn foliage season.
Flowering cherry blossoms and buds from a sample Somei Yoshino cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2026
Tokyo's cherry blossom season officially begins
The cherry season for Tokyo starts when the official sample tree at Yasukuni Shrine opens at least five flowers.
The sample Somei Yoshino cherry tree whose blooming, one of the earliest in the country, was announced by the Japan Meteorological Agency, in the city of Gifu on Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2026
Cherry blossom season begins as first trees bloom
Kochi was the first city in the country to see cherry blossoms for the third straight year.
Cherry blossoms are expected to bloom earlier than usual this year, with flowering forecast to begin in Nagoya on March 17 and in Tokyo on March 19, according to Japan Meteorological Corp.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2026
Cherry blossom season set to begin up to a week earlier than usual
Somei Yoshino cherry trees are expected to begin flowering on March 17 in Nagoya, before those in the Kanto-Koshin, Shikoku and Kyushu regions start blooming.
A stone monument marking the tsunami’s furthest reach stands beside cherry trees, planted by Sakura Line 311 after the 2011 triple disaster, in full bloom at Jodoji Temple, in the city of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, in April.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2026
Flowers bloom in Tohoku as symbol of resilience
Colorful seasonal flowers bloom to symbolize the resilience of communities hit hard by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.
Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, with its view of Mount Fuji, cherry blossom trees and a five-story pagoda, may still see a spike in visitors in spring even with the cancellation of a cherry blossom festival in the city.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2026
Mount Fuji cherry blossom festival canceled due to overtourism
The city of Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, said "the quiet lives of local residents are threatened."
Classmates and others planted cherry trees on Thursday in the city of Niigata, praying for the swift return of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2025
Abductee Megumi Yokota's classmates donate cherry trees to school
Megumi's father, Shigeru, photographed her standing in front of cherry trees at Yorii junior high school seven months before she was kidnapped.
Cherry blossoms in full bloom at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on March 30
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 10, 2025
AI app helps monitor cherry tree health and keep hanami tradition blooming
As Japan celebrates cherry blossom season, aging trees pose safety risks — and a new AI app is helping track their condition.
Masatoshi Asari is one of Japan’s foremost living authorities on cherry trees and their blossoms.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2025
The man who sent Japan's cherry blossoms out to the world
Masatoshi Asari's trees — symbols of peace and reconciliation — blossom in the U.K., U.S., Poland and China.
A report from Dai-ichi Life Research Institute shows that the cost of typical food items eaten at the gatherings known as hanami has risen 21.4% in the past six years.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 2, 2025
Inflation casts shadow over Japan’s cherry blossom season
A report shows that the cost of typical food items eaten at flower viewing gatherings has risen 21.4% in the past six years.
The cherry blossoms at Inokashira Park in Tokyo on Thursday
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2025
Cherry blossoms come into full bloom in Tokyo
On Sunday, monitored sample cherry trees reached full bloom also in the cities of Wakayama and Matsuyama, both western Japan.
The Tokyo National Museum’s garden is open to the public in springtime, when 10 different varieties of cherry trees are blooming.
CULTURE / Art
Mar 28, 2025
Cherry blossom-themed art to see this weekend in Tokyo
With the cherry blossoms’ ephemeral beauty immortalized in art and literature for centuries, there's plenty of artworks to gaze upon on rainy days.
Cherry blossoms along a road in Tokyo on Tuesday. The 2025 cherry blossom season is expected to have an economic impact of around ¥1.39 trillion on Japan.
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2025
Hanami season to have record ¥1.39 trillion economic impact on Japan
The estimate is 22.2% higher than last year's ¥1.14 trillion, according to an annual report compiled by Kansai University economist Katsuhiro Miyamoto.
Blooms are seen on the Meteorological Agency's sample cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2025
Cherry blossom season kicks off in Tokyo after warm weekend
At approximately 2 p.m. Monday, the Meteorological Agency announced that its reference Somei-Yoshino cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine was officially in bloom.
A Yoshino cherry tree in bloom in Kumamoto City's Nishi Ward on Sunday.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2025
Cherry blossoms bloom in Kumamoto and Kochi
Compared with last year, the blooming date was the same in Kochi and three days earlier in Kumamoto.
A Weathernews forecast shows the cherry blossom season will begin on March 21 in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2025
Cherry blossom season set to kick off on March 21 in Tokyo
Blossoms are expected to reach full bloom at a pace similar to or slightly faster than average years in western and eastern Japan.
Tokyo is expected to lead the season with its first cherry blossoms on March 21, followed by Fukuoka, Kochi and Hiroshima prefectures as well as the city of Yokohama on March 22.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2025
Cherry blossom season predicted to begin in Tokyo on March 21
This year’s cherry blossom season is expected to align with or slightly precede historical averages in western and eastern Japan.
Former mayor of Ito indicted after allegedly falsifying academic record
Maki Takubo, former mayor of Ito in Shizuoka Prefecture, was indicted without arrest on Monday by public prosecutors on suspicion of violations including contravening the local autonomy law through alleged academic fraud.
ADHD medication in short supply in Japan as demand soars
Concerta, an ADHD drug marketed by Janssen Pharmaceutical, is in short supply in Japan as demand has climbed recently.
JMA warns of potential tremors throughout the week after magnitude 5.0 quake
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures on Wednesday morning.
Japan’s 'counterstrike capability' takes shape with missile deployments
Kumamoto Gov. Takashi Kimura (left) and city of Kumamoto Mayor Kazufumi Onishi (second from left) speak to reporters after viewing upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missile systems (seen in the background), which have a range of about 1,000 kilometers, at the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Camp Kengun in the city of Kumamoto on March 17.
Yemen's Houthis enter Iran war with attacks on Israel, as U.S. Marines arrive in region
Young Houthi supporters hold weapons during a rally in solidarity with Tehran and Beirut, amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa on Friday.
Japan’s 'counterstrike capability' takes shape with missile deployments
Kumamoto Gov. Takashi Kimura (left) and city of Kumamoto Mayor Kazufumi Onishi (second from left) speak to reporters after viewing upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missile systems (seen in the background), which have a range of about 1,000 kilometers, at the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Camp Kengun in the city of Kumamoto on March 17.
ADHD medication in short supply in Japan as demand soars
Concerta, an ADHD drug marketed by Janssen Pharmaceutical, is in short supply in Japan as demand has climbed recently.
What happens when Japan curates its aesthetic for the world?
The Sui Collection, a Cabinet Office-backed showcase of traditional Japanese artisanship, is visually stunning, but what is lost in translation when the state is a partner in cultural communication?
With the end of 3G, Japan's beloved flip phones go dark
Japan was the first country in the world to adopt 3G, but this month, it cuts off access to the obsolete wireless network for good.
Japan to tighten requirements for naturalization starting April 1
Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Amy Yee poses for a photo in Lalibela, Ethiopia. An award-winning journalist and former foreign correspondent for the Financial Times, Yee shifted her focus to the issue of Tibetans in exile for her book, “Far From the Rooftop of the World: Travels Among Tibetan Refugees on Four Continents.”
The voices of Tibet, far from home
By Michael Judge

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