Kyoto is a top destination, not only for its high concentration of breathtaking Buddhist temples but also for the cherry blossoms the bloom throughout the city in the spring. The cherry blossom trees of Kyoto bloom just after those in Tokyo, so once you’ve seen the blossoms in Tokyo head down south to Kyoto. Sakura (or cherry blossom) season in Japan is an extremely popular time to travel for both foreigners and Japanese alike. The season is also very fickle and the timing of peak blossoms is dependent on the winter conditions. It is hard to accurately predict if your trip will fall within the short two-week window of blooms if you are planning more than a few months in advance. The good thing is there are many different types of cherry blossom trees, and while they all have roughly a 2-week window, those windows are spread out over March and April. The locations in this list don’t all reach full bloom at the same time and they are all must-see destinations in and of themselves, even without being covered in pinkish-white flowers.

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