When visiting Kyoto, many travelers hope to experience moments of unhurried tranquility and timeless beauty at the city’s temples and shrines. “Timeless” doesn’t mean “open at any time,” though. Many ...

Discover the 9 best cherry blossom spots in Japan for 2026, from Tokyo and Kyoto to Mount Fuji. Plan your sakura trip with bloom forecasts, travel tips and top hanami locations.

Japan’s cherry blossom season in 2026 promises spectacular views and an unforgettable travel experience as the iconic sakura trees burst into bloom across the country. Sakura, deeply rooted in ...

The arrival of spring in Japan changes the landscape in a way few other natural events can ...

The Japan Meteorological Corporation recently announced the forecast on when cherry blossoms, also known as sakura, will bloom in various parts of Japan. In general, the peak season for hanami, ...

The season of all things pretty and pink is upon us. In an effort to give visitors and locals a chance to map out their sakura (cherry blossom) plans, a Cherry Blossom Watch forecast was released last ...

Rachel DeSantis is a senior writer on the music team at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2019, and her work has previously appeared in Entertainment Weekly and the New York Daily News.

Cherry blossoms in Kyoto, Japan reached peak bloom on March 26 this year — the earliest the event has occurred in 1,200 years of records. Why so soon? Climate change, constantly pushing our warming ...