Cherry blossoms

Actually in my earlier post I mentioned I was planning on driving from Tokyo via Kusatsu to Nagano (shi--sorry perhaps I wasn't specific enough) to see the snow monkeys and in anycase, we've been to Matsumoto on a prior trip, so can anyone advise on nice sakura viewing spots along the way ? Also, any sightseeing/activity along our route (April 6 to 10), we have a 14 yr son.

I'm still looking and assuming you have driven a car out of Tokyo...it looks like there is some cherry blossom viewing in Gunma-ken if your highway route is somewhat thru there.
‘�’à kusatsu
’·–ì nagano

can you locate above places on map?
when you scroll around find Tokyo and enlarge the view, tan color line is highway routes leads to Kusatsu.

I can't find English info you yet.

http://www.rurubu.com/season/spring/sakura/list.asp?Ken...

Thanks everyone for your input and help so far.
We're driving from Tokyo to Kusatsu onsen and Yudanaka (snow monkeys) by expressway and returning to Tokyo same route. Would appreciate info on any nice sakura viewing spots along this route.
As we don't speak Japanese, please give a tel no. of either the sakura viewing place or somewhere such as a restaurant, hotel or even 7-11 closeby so we can input that tel no. into our car's GPS navigation to guide us there.

www.jnto.go.jp/eng/indepth/seasonal/sakura2009/

As well as the excellent link on this site to the 2009 forecast JNTO yesterday also put a 2009 forecast on its site.

Thanks fmj--from your link, found 2 possibilities in the Nagano area.
Can anyone recommend sakura viewing areas near Karuizawa or Takasaki ?
.

According to the website cc gave us, You can view 3000 cherry trees at Mt Kannonyama in Takasaki city, parking is available. The phone No of the temple on the hill is 027-322-2269

http://gojapan.about.com/od/attractioninkantoregion/p/t...

I have just checked the weekly weather forecast for tokyo and it seems it will be 21C this week..is this really true?! What effect is it having on the cherry blossoms..we don't arrive for another 3 weeks..

It looks like temps this week will get up to around 21 or so at some point, yes. Weather patterns are taken into account when they predict the sakura front, so that will mean that the cherry blossoms are likely to start opening around the time that was forecast- probably this weekend or early next week, or maybe earlier. In Fukuoka they have already seen the first few blossoms.

In 3 weeks time you should still be able to catch the tail end of the blossoms. In any case there's not much to be done about it, so try to enjoy your trip in Japan anyway, even if the blossoms are past their best when you arrive!

Cherry blossom already opened in Fukuoka. If it continues like that, blossoms in Tokyo are likely to open before March 25, and the best time for viewing will probably be the last few days of March and the first week of April.

Based on your estimate, when will the cherry blossoms bloom in Nagano and Takasaki (Gunma) ?

Thanks Sira and Uji..enjoy we will whatever: even if its near the end at least the trees will have leaves..last year we got bare branches in Tokyo!!!!