Weathernews released the "Fifth Cherry Blossom Bloom Forecast" on March 29. Cherry blossoms from Kyushu to Kanto will be at their best one after another this week. However, since the weather will be on a downhill slope over a wide area this weekend, Weathernews recommends cherry blossom viewing when it stops raining or while walking with an umbrella.

■2016 Cherry blossom forecast - Cherry blossoms from Kyushu to Kanto will be at their best one after another in the first half of this week.
This year's cherry blossoms were at a standstill in the second half of last week due to the return of cold weather. However, rising temperatures this week will push the blooming front into the Hokuriku and Tohoku regions. Since temperatures are expected to remain normal to high in April, the blooming front is expected to pick up speed and move quickly northward across northern Japan.

Flowering in northern Japan is expected to begin at the end of March in Hokuriku, early April in the southern Tohoku, mid-April in the northern Tohoku, and around the end of April in Hokkaido.


Cherry blossoms in western and eastern Japan, where blooming has already started, are expected to advance quickly to full bloom in the second half of this week, and visitors can enjoy cherry blossoms in full bloom until the middle of next week. Ueno Onshi Park and Nagoya Castle are expected to be in full bloom on April 1, and Osaka Castle Park on April 2.

This information is based on the company's fifth nationwide survey of buds conducted from March 24 to 26. For the latest information on cherry blossom trends, please check Weathernews' special website "Cherry Blossom Blossom Forecast 2016. Information on cherry blossoms at 700 cherry blossom viewing spots nationwide can be found on Weathernews' special website "Sakura Ch.", the "Weathernews Touch" smartphone application "Sakura Ch.", and the special website "Sakura Ch." for smartphones.

Cherry blossom forecast for each area:
◆Hokkaido The blooming front will land in southern Hokkaido around April 26!
Buds in Hokkaido are growing steadily at about the same pace as last year. In addition, since temperatures in April are expected to be normal to slightly higher than normal, cherry blossoms are expected to bloom at normal to slightly earlier than normal.


Cherry blossoms will begin blooming around April 26th in southern Hokkaido and around Hakodate, and the blooming area will expand around May 20th. Cherry blossoms around Sapporo will start blooming in early May, gradually coming into full bloom in the latter half of GW, and will be at their best in early May. The Nemuro and Kushiro areas, which have the slowest blooming season in Japan, will also start blooming in mid-May and will be in full bloom by around the 20th.

◆Tohoku: Cherry blossoms are expected to bloom this weekend in the southern Tohoku region!
Cherry buds in Tohoku are growing steadily at about the same pace as last year, and April temperatures are expected to be normal to slightly higher than normal, which will accelerate the growth of buds, resulting in slightly earlier to earlier than normal blooming of cherry trees.


Cherry blossoms are expected to start blooming this weekend from the Pacific Ocean side of Fukushima and Sendai cities in the southern part of the country, and in the northern part of Tohoku in mid-April, and the blooming front is expected to move steadily northward until late April. The best time to view the blossoms will be around the end of next week in Fukushima and Sendai cities, and around Aomori city, the best time to view the blossoms is expected to be around April 25.

◆Kanto: Southern Kanto will see a rush of full bloom in the second half of this week!
Although the speed of the blooming front slowed down in the second half of last week due to the cooler weather, the entire Kanto region entered the blooming season by the 28th. In southern Kanto, warmer-than-normal weather this week has brought a rush of cherry blossoms into full bloom, and we will be able to enjoy full-bloom cherry blossoms until the middle of next week.

However, since the weather will be downhill this weekend due to the front, we recommend that you walk around with an umbrella on Saturday and Sunday, aiming for the time when it stops raining, to enjoy cherry blossom viewing.


In the northern part of Kanto, a wide area will be able to enjoy cherry blossoms in full bloom until the middle of next week. In northern Tochigi and Ibaraki, you can enjoy cherry blossoms until the end of next week.

◆ Central ◆ Hokuriku will soon enter the blooming season!
In Tokai and southern Koshin, the blooming speed was slowed down in the second half of last week due to the cooler-than-normal weather, but cherry blossoms in Shizuoka and Mie prefectures also started to bloom by the 28th. This week's warmer-than-normal weather will bring the cherry blossoms into full bloom at once, and we will be able to enjoy the full blossoms until the middle of next week. However, since the weather is expected to go downhill this weekend due to the front, visitors will be able to view the cherry blossoms on Saturday and Sunday when the rain stops.


In Hokuriku and northern Koshin, buds are growing steadily at the same or slightly faster pace than last year. Temperatures are expected to be slightly above normal through the beginning of April, and cherry blossoms are also expected to bloom slightly earlier to earlier than normal. Hokuriku will be in bloom by the end of this week, and the Niigata City area will be able to enjoy cherry blossom viewing by the end of next week. The Nagano area is also expected to start blooming in the second half of next week and will be at its best by mid-April.

◆Kinki: The Keihanshin area will be in full bloom all at once this week!
In the Kinki region, warm weather since mid-March has accelerated the growth of buds, and blooming is expected to be on par with or slightly earlier than normal. The cooler-than-normal weather in the second half of last week slowed down the speed of blooming. This week's warmer-than-normal weather will bring the cherry blossoms into full bloom at once, and we will be able to enjoy the cherry blossoms in full bloom until the middle of next week. However, the weather will be downhill this weekend due to the front, so it will be best to view the cherry blossoms on this Saturday and Sunday when the rain has stopped.


In Shiga Prefecture, the return of cold weather in the second half of last week has stalled the growth of buds, but the warm weather this week is expected to accelerate the growth. Flowering is expected to begin in the second half of this week, and the flowers will be at their best around the time of the entrance ceremony. In addition, cherry blossom viewing at Yoshinoyama in Nara Prefecture is not expected to be available until mid-April.

■Chugoku and Shikoku: Rush to full bloom in the second half of this week!
In Chugoku and Shikoku, warm weather since mid-March has accelerated the growth of buds, resulting in normal to slightly early blooming. Blooms began in Kochi Prefecture and there was a rush of blooms from the 23rd to the 25th. Although the blooming speed slowed down in the second half of last week due to the cooler-than-normal weather, this week's warmer-than-normal weather will bring the cherry blossoms into full bloom at once, and we will be able to enjoy the full bloom until the middle of next week.

However, the weather will be on a downhill slope this weekend due to the front, so visitors will be able to view the cherry blossoms on Saturday and Sunday when the rain stops.

Kyushu: Cherry blossoms will be at their best in the first half of this week, and the second half is expected to see a rush of cherry blossoms in full bloom!
The growth of buds in Kyushu was affected by the delay in breaking dormancy until the end of February, but the warm weather in March accelerated the process, and blooming started a little earlier than normal in Fukuoka Prefecture, resulting in a rush of blooms over a wide area of Kyushu on the 23rd and 24th. Although the speed of blooming slowed down due to the cooler-than-normal weather in the second half of last week, this week's warmer-than-normal weather will bring the cherry blossoms to full bloom at once, and we will be able to enjoy cherry blossoms in full bloom until the middle of next week.

However, the weather is expected to go downhill this weekend due to the front, so visitors will be able to view the cherry blossoms on Saturday and Sunday when the rain stops.