On January 12, Weathernews released the “First Cherry Bloom Forecast” for the cherry blossom season.
Cherry blossoms in 2023 are expected to bloom on par with or slightly earlier than normal in many areas. Tokyo will be the top blooming city on March 20, followed by Fukuoka, Kochi, Kofu, and Yokohama on March 21, with blooming beginning in western and eastern Japan in late March, and in Hokuriku and Tohoku in April. The cherry blossom front is expected to reach Hokkaido in late April, and bloom in Hakodate on April 23.
In the first half of this winter, there were many days with a winter pressure pattern, and there were days with heavy snowfall on the Sea of Japan side. In addition, cold air moved in from the west and snow fell on some days on the Pacific side of western Japan. Temperatures were near normal in northern Japan and below normal in western and eastern Japan, and the severe cold weather is believed to have sufficiently broken the dormancy of cherry blossom buds.
From here on, western and eastern Japan will be affected by cold air until February, but sunny and warm days will increase from March. Temperatures will tend to be normal to above normal. In northern Japan, there will be more snow and rain until March, mainly on the Sea of Japan side, but from April, the weather will change cyclically and the number of sunny days will increase in the latter half of the month. Temperatures are expected to be higher than normal, and the bloom period is expected to be earlier than normal in the northern Tohoku and Hokkaido.
© Source travel watch