This year’s cherry blossom forecast is expected to be earlier than the average schedule for most parts of Japan, with Central Honshu expecting a late March blooming date. The weather has been warmer than usual for March and it is expected to remain mild during the next few weeks resulting in an early cherry blossom viewing season.
The best time for viewing the cherry blossoms varies between a few days to a few weeks from the first bloom, so don’t leave it too late to see the beautiful blossoms.
I have created a table below for the major places in Japan with the estimate start date and peak bloom of the cherry blossoms.
Information from the Japan Weather Association
Updated 19th March 2013