A challenge with sakura is that they are extremely fickle and only last a week, and blooming dates can shift considerably from year to year. Most people do not have the resources to buy two sets of refundable plane tickets for different dates and availability at hotels with good cost performance ratios are limited at the last minute. Hence, if peak blossoms are a priority then what you'll need is basically a hotel next to a major transport hub and the willingness to travel potentially long distances or times each day to catch these. Good knowledge of regional rail passes is useful

I have a good friend who is going to Tohoku for a week of sakura viewing next April, she is currently booking all nights near Morioka station - not because of the nonsensical NYT ranking but because it is best connected to Shinkansen for zooming to wherever peak ends up being on those dates.