Tokyo's sakura opened
Japan’s cherry‑blossom season has begun — first blooms were confirmed in Tokyo, Kofu and other cities as of March 16, and full bloom in Tokyo is expected soon Nippon.com, Washington Times. Locals advise hunting lesser‑known parks and riversides to dodge crowds after new dual‑pricing rules appeared at spots like Chidorigafuchi Travel And Tour World.
The Japan Meteorological Corporation released its 8th forecast (n-kishou.com) on March 12 projecting Tokyo will reach full bloom on March 27, 2026. Official “first bloom” observations use Somei Yoshino benchmark trees and require five to six open flowers, while “full bloom” is declared when about 80% of a sample tree’s buds have opened, according to Nippon.com (nippon.com). Kōchi recorded the season’s earliest Somei Yoshino opening for the third straight year — six days earlier than its long‑term average — with Gifu and Yamanashi roughly nine days ahead of their historical norms, Kyodo/Associated Press reporting noted (api.courthousenews.com). Chiyoda Ward implemented a dual‑pricing change on March 1 that raised the 30‑minute boat rental at Chidorigafuchi to ¥1,500 for nonresidents while maintaining a ¥800 rate for ward residents, the Asahi Shimbun reported (asahi.com). That local measure echoes a national tourism overhaul announced in 2025 that includes phased rollouts of two‑tier pricing and visitor caps at popular sites to curb overtourism, as outlined in Travel And Tour World and Moneycontrol coverage (travelandtourworld.com). Guides and local roundups are steering visitors toward quieter hanami locations this year — examples cited include Shakujii River, Asukayama Park and Yanaka Cemetery as lesser‑crowded alternatives to hotspots like Chidorigafuchi, per Navitime and GTN’s 2026 spot lists (japantravel.navitime.com).
