Japan in April: Cherry Blossoms, Weather by Region and What to Do

In early April, petals drift down onto the moats and rivers of Tokyo and settle in pale drifts along the water, while office workers and families spread blue tarps under the branches with bento boxes and sweet rice dumplings. Farther north the trees are still bare and snow lingers on Hokkaido, and in the far south Okinawa is already warm and humid. April in Japan is the month of the blossom, of spring festivals and of a country changing season at a different pace in every region.

Mount Fuji and the Japanese countryside in spring · Illustration

What is the weather like in Japan in April?

April is mild across most of Japan’s big cities, cool in Hokkaido and noticeably warm in Okinawa, so the weather depends entirely on where you are. Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Fukuoka and Hiroshima share the same spring pattern: pleasant afternoons, cool mornings and evenings, and showers on about one day in three.

Place	Average high (°F)	Average low (°F)	Precipitation (in)	Daylight on the 15th (hours and minutes)
Tokyo	66.9	49.6	5.26	13 h 04 min
Kyoto	68.2	48.6	4.61	13 h 02 min
Osaka	67.8	51.6	4.01	13 h 01 min
Sapporo	53.1	38.1	2.15	13 h 21 min
Okinawa (Naha)	75.7	66.4	6.34	12 h 45 min
Fukuoka	67.8	52.7	4.65	12 h 59 min
Kanazawa	63.1	46.8	5.67	13 h 05 min
Hiroshima	67.6	50.2	5.55	13 h 01 min

In Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima, afternoons reach the upper 60s, which suits a day of walking in a light jacket or a sweater. Nights are cooler, with lows hovering around 50 in Tokyo and Kyoto, so an evening under the blossoms asks for another layer. Kanazawa, on the Sea of Japan side, runs a few degrees cooler and is the rainiest of the eight on the number of wet days, and snow or sleet can still fall there on a few April days.

Sapporo is a different season altogether. Highs stay in the low 50s, nights drop to just above freezing, and snow or sleet still shows up on many April days. Okinawa sits at the other end with highs in the mid-70s, mild nights, humid air and more gray skies than the mainland. Days are long everywhere, with Sapporo getting the most daylight and Okinawa the least.

Where to go in Japan in April

Tokyo and the Kanto region

Tokyo is where April feels most like a festival. The Chiyoda Cherry Blossom Festival is held along the Chidorigafuchi walkway on the west side of the Imperial Palace, where branches lean out over the moat. Ueno Park holds its Ueno Sakura Matsuri in early April, and Sumida Park holds its own Sakura Festival at the same time, with the trees reflected in the river.

The blossom usually peaks around the end of March in Tokyo, so April often means the tail end, with petals falling like snow and the first fresh green on the branches. In some springs the bloom stretches into the first days of the month. After the cherry trees, the city turns to azaleas, and Nezu-jinja Shrine has a 300-year-old azalea garden that offers another reason to cross town.

This is a month for travelers who like to wander on foot, since the weather suits long days outside. Tokyo’s changeable spring can bring windy days, so a scarf and a parka stay useful.

Kyoto, Osaka and the Kansai region

Kyoto’s blossom usually begins in late March, and the city carries that spring mood into April with temples, canals and hillside paths framed by new leaves and the last petals. Mild April days suit visits to Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari and Kinkaku-ji.

Osaka has the driest April of the eight places in the table and the most sunshine of the Kansai cities, which makes it an easy base for eating your way through the street food of Dotonbori, with its takoyaki (octopus balls) and okonomiyaki (savory pancakes). Kyoto in spring leans toward tofu, pickles, matcha sweets and the multi-course kaiseki meals that follow the season, with bamboo shoots and mountain greens appearing on the plate.

Hokkaido

Hokkaido in April is still emerging from winter. In Sapporo, the days are cool, the snow is thinning and often shows up only as flurries or sleet, and the cherry trees are not yet in flower. Cherry blossom reaches northern and eastern Hokkaido only in mid-May, so spring here is a season of waiting.

What the city offers now is food and warmth: miso ramen, soup curry, grilled seafood and Sapporo beer in a city that is easy to enjoy in a coat. Odori Park runs through the middle of town and slowly turns from snowy to green. Visit if you prefer cold air and quiet streets to blossom crowds, and pack for winter weather.

Okinawa

Okinawa is the warmest place in Japan in April, with highs in the mid-70s and nights that stay mild. The sea around Naha averages in the mid-70s too, and the first beach days of the year arrive here while the mainland is still in sweaters. Humidity is high and the sky is often gray, so sunshine is not guaranteed.

Okinawa’s cherry trees are a different kind, the Hikan-zakura, which flower around mid-January, long before April. In April you come for the warm weather, the Ryukyu food culture of soba noodles in pork broth and the shisa lion statues on rooftops, and the slower pace of the islands. It also gives mainland travelers an unusual way to extend a spring trip into summer weather.

What to do in Japan in April

Hanami: cherry blossom viewing

Cherry blossom (sakura) is one of Japan’s most iconic symbols and a harbinger of spring, and hanami, picnicking under the trees, is how the country celebrates it. Groups bring food and drinks, sit on tarps and linger under the branches, and parks fill with snack stalls and lantern light at festival time. Seasonal treats include sakura mochi and pink-flavored sweets.

The blossom moves north through the spring. In Kyushu, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kinki, Tokai and Kanto, it comes in late March, and the Hokuriku region and southern Tohoku follow around April 10.

Fukuoka’s bloom is typically a little earlier than Tokyo’s, and dates shift from one spring to the next, so treat them as guides only.

Spring festivals and gardens

The blossom festivals of Tokyo’s Ueno Park and Sumida Park, and the Chiyoda festival along the Chidorigafuchi moat, are the big April events for city travelers. Evenings bring lanterns and a festive mood. Nezu-jinja Shrine adds its azalea garden to the month, which suits those who prefer color and shrine paths to crowds under the cherry trees.

Beyond the capital, spring flowers go beyond cherry trees. In Toyota, in Aichi Prefecture, a long stretch of weeping peach trees in white, red and pink signals the arrival of spring. A day among peach blossoms is a gentler counterpart to the cherry viewing and is a good fit for flower lovers who like seeing a season from several angles.

Golden Week begins

The last days of April mark the start of Golden Week, a holiday period running from April 29 to May 5 that contains several public holidays. April 29 is Showa Day, and the rest of the holidays follow in early May. For the traveler, the month ends with a change in mood as domestic holidays begin and families head out.

Is Japan busy in April?

April is one of the busiest months in Japan, because the blossom season and the start of Golden Week bring both visitors and Japanese travelers into the popular spring places. The Tokyo blossom sites, with their festivals at Ueno, Sumida and Chidorigafuchi, are the places where people gather at the height of the bloom.

Timing matters. The blossom moves from south to north, so the crowds move with it, and the end of the month meets the holiday period that starts on Showa Day. Holiday rules also add days off: when a national holiday lands on a Sunday, the next working day becomes a public holiday, and a day sandwiched between two holidays becomes one as well.

Places outside the blossom path feel different. Okinawa and Hokkaido are not on the main April blossom route, and cities whose trees bloom earlier or later give a calmer view of spring. Choose the region that matches the blossom you want, and expect the late-April holidays to shape the mood anywhere you go.

What to pack for Japan in April

Packing changes with the region this month. On the main island, layers handle the swing between cool mornings and mild afternoons, a light jacket or a simple sweater is enough in most places, and Hokkaido calls for winter gear. Okinawa needs summer clothes and sun protection.

A light jacket or sweater, for the cool mornings and evenings in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and similar cities.
A scarf and a parka, since Tokyo can have windy days in April.
A compact umbrella or rain jacket, for showers that come on roughly one day in three.
Warm layers, gloves and waterproof boots for Sapporo, where snow or sleet still falls.
Sunscreen and a hat for Okinawa, where the warm sun is strong.
Comfortable walking shoes, for park paths and temple grounds.

Good to know before you go

Kanazawa and Okinawa have the most wet days among the places in the table. Days are long, with daylight lasting well into the evening in every region, which leaves time for dinner after sightseeing.

In cities, shops generally stay open every day, while rural shops often close earlier in the evening. Golden Week begins at the very end of the month with the Showa Day holiday, so plans for the last days of April deserve a little extra thought.

Is April a good time to visit Japan?

April is an excellent time for travelers who want blossoms, comfortable walking weather and spring festivals, especially in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Hokkaido suits those who like cool air and a late spring, and Okinawa suits those who want warmth and the sea. The fact that the month offers a choice of seasons is what makes it so rewarding.

Compared with March, April is far gentler. Tokyo’s March highs sit in the upper 50s and Kyoto’s are similar, with Sapporo in the 40s and well below freezing at night, so spring has only just started.

May is much warmer, with highs in the mid-70s in Tokyo and upper 70s in Kyoto, and the cherry trees are long gone from the main cities. April lands in the middle, mild enough for long days outside with the blossom still in the air.

What is special about April in Japan is how the season travels. Tokyo’s last petals, Hokuriku’s blossoms around the second week, Aomori’s trees at the end of the month and Hokkaido’s still-bare branches mean the same month can offer very different springs, depending on which way you go.

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Computed from the date and the latitude of the place (sunrise equation, solar elevation -0.833 degrees), October 11, 2026
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