Hanami April 12-19, 2020

Hi minna-san!

Me and my family will be travelling to Japan next year during these dates above. Can you please suggest places in Japan where it's best to see some Somei Yoshino in full bloom? We really like the white cherry blossoms variety so any place in full bloom is our must-see.

Thanks in advance!

Start from here: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2011_where.html

Somei Yoshino is just one of the varieties, but here are many other white cherry blossom options. Ogawara near Sendai (as an example) has a thousand trees along the river that should be in full bloom around that time and are much more impressive than some of the famous/popular viewing sites. Over the last decade the best displays I have seen were not Somei Yoshino - the dwarf cherry at Ninna-ji were spectacular last year.

Note that the blooming season is somewhat unpredictable, and it's only possible to go by average dates this far out. More certain full bloom times won't be known until March, or even April, as they are very weather dependent. You should have a flexible itinerary that allows you to "chase" full bloom to other locations if you have your heart set on seeing it.

Ogawara near Sendai (as an example) has a thousand trees along the river that should be in full bloom around that time and are much more impressive than some of the famous/popular viewing sites.

Note that the trees along the Shiroishi River around Ogawara are virtually all Somei Yoshino.