Inclusions
A guided tour involves a professional English-speaking guide who tells you everything there is to know about cherry blossom season and takes you to places to get the best view of it. Transfers are usually covered as part of a guided tour, ensuring a hassle-free visit.
A combo cherry blossom tour combines visiting the cherry blossoms along with other landmarks or experiences like Mishima Skywalk, Shiraito Falls, Fujisan Sengen Shrine, and Mount Fuji’s fifth station. Transportation and a guide are usually included for a stress-free visit.
Shizuoka Prefecture is about three hours away from Tokyo, and offers some of the best cherry blossom-viewing opportunities. It is also home to Kawazu, Izu Peninsula, which is known for local cherry blossom species, Kawazukzakura, which typically has a longer life than most of the other species. When you go to see the Kawazuzakura, here are some other things you can do in and around Shizuoka Prefecture.
The best time to visit and admire the cherry blossoms is between March and April. It is within this period that the flowers’ bloom cycle takes place. While the Kawazu cherry blossoms starts blooming earlier (around February), they only bloom fully by March.
When admiring the cherry blossoms, try out cherry blossom-flavoured food such as:
There are numerous accommodation options available in Tokyo, which is typically where most tourists stay and see the cherry blossoms at. Additionally, Tokyo is close to the Shizuoka prefecture, which is where a lot of people head to see the Kawazuzakura.
It is recommended that you stay in Shinjuku when in Tokyo. Not only is it one of the best places to stay in the city, with a lot of different accommodation options, it is also close to Shinjuku station, which has great connectivity to the rest of the region.
Other great places to stay at include Ginza, Hamamatsucho, Hibiya, Roppongi, Shibuya, and Shinagawa. Tokyo is a large city, so ensure wherever you stay is close to a subway or railway station for easy access.
During cherry blossom season, one will find a number of cherry blossom-themed souvenirs and limited edition products to purchase. Starbucks rolls out sakura-themed tumblers and mugs, and Kit-Kat, Coca Cola, and Pepsi release sakura-flavoured products.
Other sakura-themed things you can purchase include kokeshi dolls, pens, chopsticks, bento boxes, stationary, sweets, tea, accessories, and jewellery.
Here are some attractions to visit and experiences to enjoy when visiting Japan to see the cherry blossoms bloom:
Yes, cherry blossom tour tickets can be purchased online. It is actually recommended that you purchase your cherry blossom tour tickets online and in advance to secure your visit on the day of your preference.
Yes. There are several guided cherry blossom tours from Tokyo that take you to different parts of the country to see the flowers in full bloom.
The best day tours are combo tours as they include a variety of other experiences such as strawberry picking, ziplining, and the Mishima Skywalk.
You can take your pick from a wide range of options, such as guided tours, park entry tickets (non-guided), and combo tours. The benefit offered by guided and combo tours is an English-speaking guide and the inclusion of transfers in your ticket. Combo tours, in addition, take you to more experiences in the surrounding area after the cherry blossom viewing.
This depends on the tour — some allow you to cancel 24 hours in advance, some require a week’s notice, and some cannot be cancelled or rescheduled. It is highly advisable to check the cancellation policy before booking your tickets.
Your cherry blossom Japan tour tickets are valid for the date selected when booking the ticket.
It is recommended that you purchase your cherry blossom tour tickets in advance to get the date of your choosing.
Guided cherry blossom tours in Japan are typically conducted in English.
The best time to see cherry blossoms is during the bloom season, which falls between March and April.
While this depends on the tour chosen, an average cherry blossom tour from Tokyo takes about half a day (12 hours) including transfer time.