Timing for Sakura Matsuri in Tokyo
 

The better half wants to go check out the cherry blossoms in Tokyo this year to complement the shopping :rolleyes:

Are there any site that I can check to see when it will be this year?
Is the festival in Ueno Park?

You can check out this thread for starters:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=495078

Once you pick the right time, you'll find nice sakura in many locations. I especially like strolling the river between Nakameguro and Meguro.

The forecasting sites have not yet begun to post. That will probably start in early March. Best guess right now is first week of April.

For what it is worth, if you do time your trip for the best blosson times, Ueno Park will be MOBBED. For casual blossom viewing, there are many better choices. Search the group, we've all weighed in with our favorites. :)

JR

There's no "sakura matsuri" - rather a multitude of people enjoying hanami parties with their colleagues and friends.
Ueno is the full on urban version of this - it gets crowded and a bit ugly, frankly. YMMV.

Just about any park with cherry trees in Tokyo will be crowded - because the cherry blossoms are so short-lived and as soon as they come out, the entire population of this megalopolis is desperate to secure their little square of turf under the falling blossoms....

But if you're here as a tourist, you don't need to limit yourself to Tokyo. And you don't need to worry so much about the timing. The Japanese archipelago is hundreds of kilometers in length from the South West to the North East - and the "cherry blossom front' makes progress along this path over the course of maybe 6 weeks.

So, for example, if you time your arrival to be in early-ish April - and then ask which place is in bloom, you can then transport yourself to that corner of Japan and enjoy the cherry blossoms there. It might be Tokyo - or it might be further North - maybe Nikko (beautiful place to see them) ... or Sendai... or Sapporo.

This plan requires you to have a little "faith". You won't know exactly where you're going until you get here.

The first week of April appears to be the present "best guess" for the Tokyo Metropolitan area:
http://www.jtb.co.jp/season/spring/sakura/?AreaCode=04

Last year's "schedule/map" can give you a pretty good comparative overall look as to approximately where and when the blossoms bloom:
http://www.jtb.co.jp/season/05spring/sakura/yoho/

I would also avoid Ueno Park during this time. There are many other "less stressful" choices.

sweet! thanks for the info folks...

last i heard might be second week....
let's hope we can have it for easter;
i am already booked!

Weathernews has started their "kaika yosou" (estimates of when they'll bloom, not peak)--currently they are expecting first week of April for the Tokyo area, it appears.

http://weathernews.jp/sakura2006/

I'll be in Tokyo that week, so I'm hoping they're correct! :)
Although one doesn't really need cherry blossoms to have a hanami party....

I'll be in Okayama and Nagoya during the last week of March - departing March 30, so it looks like I'll probably just miss this year. :(

JR

Don't give up hope especially if the weather warms up in the coming week or so.

Oh, I'm not giving up, just trying to be realistic. I imagine Korakuen in sakura season will be extraordinary, not to mention Kurashiki. I'll have a great time and get some good pictures either way. :p

JR

will be in tokyo on Apr 1-4 ... hope I can catch some of it.

I think you have a realistic chance - whatever time you go will be a gamble. Also, even if you don't catch the sakura, you will probably find other trees in blossom. Plum blossom is gorgeous and somewhat earlier than sakura.

That has been my experience. My first trip to Kyoto, years ago, had me there in late March. No cherries, but the Imperial Palace Park was still beautiful with other stuff. And, by missing sakura season, I also miss the huge crowds and catch some of the spring basho. It's all about trade-offs. Since this is really just a glorified mileage run to maximize UAs triple mile March bonus while still finding some good ramen and katsudon, everything else is gravy. :D

JR