The Kawazu-Zakura cherry blossoms
If you’re sick of winter and ready for spring, head to Shizuoka’s Kawazu City, the host of one of Japan’s earliest cherry blossom festivals. The Kawazu-zakura cherry blossoms are known for blossoming early and some trees are already beginning to bloom.
According to the official website, the Kawazu-zakura festival kicked-off in early February and will run through the end of the month.
Roughly 8000 cherry blossom trees line the Kawazu river. From Tokyo it’s about 2 hours and 40 min on the Odoriko train. Driving will take you roughly the same amount of time.
The festival had been scaled down the past 3 years due to the pandemic but this year it’s back to it’s past glory with food stands and everything.
If you’re curious about other parts of Japan with more typical blossoming schedules, below is the latest forecast courtesy of the JFC which shows the sakura zensen (cherry blossom front). Tokyo will be one of the first cities to see cherry blossoms, where flowers are expected to bloom around March 22 and peak on March 29. Meanwhile, Kyoto’s and Osaka’s blossoms are predicted to begin flowering on March 23 and 25, respectively. Kyoto is expected to hit its peak blooming time on March 31, while Osaka will peak on April 1.
