Last of the 4 Japan Posts, being Spring Skiing Hakuba, The Path less Travelled and The Golden Route and now
The first week was spent Skiing Hakuba after landing in Tokyo. Then 4 weeks chasing the beauty of Japan through shrines temples parks and Onsen towns, and particularly, the Plum & Cherry Blossoms (Sakura) that Japan is famous for.
The big tip ? closer to Sakura season, you can search for the estimated buds to bloom expectation dates for each region of Japan. A few websites have a blooming forecast similar to this. Would have been handy to have before booking ☹
The Cherry Blossoms do not last very long, and are subject to weather & climate conditions, but you can maximise the experience if you set an itinerary using the likes of the forecast here. This screenshot (right) can give you a guideline, which of course can change each year.
Driving from Hakone down the coast road to Kawazu & back via inland was spectacular. The mountains were literally a patchwork of colours. Not a lot of places to pull over, but I managed to get a few examples (below) along with experiences from early to late bloom along the travels.
Cherry & Plum Blossoms Mid March to Mid April
Hakone
Nara
Kawazu
Kyoto
Osaka
Osaka Tsurumi Ryokuchi Park
Tokyo
