Cherry Blossoms in Northern Japan: Where to see them in Hokkaido?

Japan is well-known for its seasonal cherry blossoms across the world.  Perhaps one of the most popular annual events in the country, every year locals and tourists await the arrival of these flowers, as this signals the start of the spring season in Japan!  Simply, it wouldn’t be a complete spring in Japan without going for ‘hanami’ (cherry blossom viewing) with family or friends!

However, did you know that the bloom of these Sakura flowers greatly varies across the mainland of Japan?  Yes, depending on the area of where you live or are visiting, the Sakura flowers will bloom in different dates throughout Japan.

This is mostly due to the weather variations across Japan, where you will see that the cherry blossoms will come very early starting March 21st in the islands of Kyushu, and south of Honshu, while the Northern part of Japan will bloom at the end of April/start of May.

There is even an official forecast for 2020’s Cherry Blossom as of now!  Check it out to match your visit with Hokkaido’s blossoms!

Naturally, Hokkaido is the last area of Japan where we’ll see the Sakura bloom, which for 2020 is as late as the 1st of May in the city of Sapporo!  As you may know, the island of Hokkaido is one of the coldest regions in Japan, so spring is quite late in Hokkaido indeed!

However, that does not make it any less special.  “We’ve saved the best for last” as they say.  Places like Sapporo, among others will feature stunning pink colorful blooms in many of their beautiful parks, one of those being Moerenuma Park!

One of the best places to witness the cherry blooms in Sapporo and perhaps in all of Japan!  Moerenuma Park is one of the more unique parks in Hokkaido with creative designs, wide green areas and beautiful views worth for taking incredible pictures for Instagram!

The park was design by an American Japanese artist, Isamu Noguchi.  Once a project to be an ordinary park with baseball fields, Noguchi took this project and created a wonderful design concept.

Over spring sceneries you can observe the window pyramid known as Hidamari, Mount Moere the biggest structure of the park that you can climb, and take awesome pictures above all of Moerenuma Park.  A little tip here: definitely rent a bicycle to explore Moerenuma more efficiently.. trust me this park is massive!

Have you also heard of Plum blooms?  Yep, we also have beautiful plum blooms in Hokkaido, as well as a very popular Plum Festival in Hiraoka Park that is well-known among Japanese locals but widely unknown among foreign visitors…

From April 27^th until May 19^th the Plum Festival runs in Hiraoka Park.  There you can find famous local Plum based products, food, and beautiful blooms around this awesome park on the outskirts of Sapporo! You can enjoy the many different contrasts of plum blooms such as white, red plum and pink plum!

This is definitely a great place to witness the cherry blossoms while enjoying a picnic with nice company, riding a bicycle with a cool breeze of air, and enjoying the coming of Spring!

If you are looking for closer options around Sapporo, then perhaps Nakajima Park or Maruyama Park are great options for you to see the cherry blooms.  They can be nice options to watch the Sakura since subway lines (such as Tozai and Nanboku) offer a convenient means of transportation to the popular parks!

Feeling more adventurous and want to go see the hanami elsewhere?  If so, places like Goryokaku Tower in Hakodate, Asahigaoka Park in Furano or Mt. Tengu in Otaru are other popular places to go to in Hokkaido!

So, if you want to see the cherry blossoms in Japan do not stress about a particular date! There will be cherry blossoms scattered across Japan for about a month, you’ve just got to find the area that works for you.

Some people think late March, April are the best dates to come and visit the Sakura blooms, but it really depends on which area you are planning to see them in and matching that with the full bloom period so that you can see them in their full glory.

If you are coming a little ‘late’ over Spring but plan to catch the cherry blossoms still, definitely keep Hokkaido in mind and visit them there!  The late blooms will appear in Hokkaido from late April till mid May, so coming between these dates will allow you to see the last cherry blooms of Japan before they pass completely!

Plan a spring holiday to Hokkaido by joining our Seasonal Cherry Blossom Tour with Travel Hokkaido where we’ll go see some flowers in Moerenuma and Hiraoka Park along with some friendly people!