Nagoya: Blossoms Opening

Today, I visited Nagoya, about 90 minutes by bullet train from Tokyo. Nagoya City was one of the first few cities to announce the start of their mainstream cherry blossom season, when the first blossoms opened on March 17. It has been a full seven days since the start, and today, I found that the cherry blossoms are about a day or two from reaching their best viewing. Warmer temperatures are forecast for the next few days, and the best viewing in Nagoya is expected to start from around March 26. This coming weekend looks like it would be one of the best times for cherry blossom viewing parties.

For those interested in cities apart from Nagoya, our cherry blossom forecast page also has the best viewing information of other major cities. Follow along here to keep up with the latest updates as we bring almost daily on-site sakura reports from various cities.

After yesterday's relatively gloomy weather in Tokyo, I woke up to nice blue skies in Nagoya. My first stop is Tsuruma Park, a popular cherry blossom viewing spot in Nagoya. I found the blossoms to be around the halfway point to their best, and I expect the best viewing at Tsuruma Park to start from around March 26 and continue for about a week barring inclement weather.

Until April 12, there is a cherry blossom festival at Tsuruma Park. The cherry trees are illuminated from 18:00 to 22:00 during the festival period, and food trucks and stalls can be found in the park.

My next and last stop was Nagoya Castle, another popular cherry blossom viewing spot in the city. The mainstream cherry blossoms here were less advanced compared to the ones at Tsuruma Park, but the weeping cherry trees were already very attractive. I expect the best viewing of the mainstream cherry blossoms here to start from around Friday or Saturday this week, and this coming weekend to be a prime time to view cherry blossoms at their best.

There is a cherry blossom festival happening at Nagoya Castle from now until April 5. The opening hours of the castle is extended during the festival period from 9:00 to 20:00 (entry until 19:30). The cherry trees are also illuminated in the evenings during the festival period.