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Japan cherry blossom itinerary: 2 weeks from Tokyo to Osaka via Kanazawa and Kyoto
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Japan cherry blossom itinerary: 2 weeks from Tokyo to Osaka via Kanazawa and Kyoto

Sat 27 Mar – Sun 11 Apr 2027·16 days·Tokyo · Kanazawa · Takayama · Kyoto · Hiroshima · Osaka
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Times are local to each place

16 days · Tokyo · Kanazawa · Takayama · Kyoto · Hiroshima · Osaka · Best in Late March to mid-April

This is a 16-day cherry blossom trip through Japan, including the flights there and back: 14 nights on the ground. It starts in Tokyo, crosses to Kanazawa on the Sea of Japan coast and into the mountains at Takayama, then follows the blossom back to Kyoto, Hiroshima and Miyajima before flying home from Osaka.

The dates, 27 March to 11 April, are chosen around the average bloom. The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991–2020 normals put full bloom in Tokyo on 31 March, Hiroshima on 3 April, and Kyoto and Osaka on 4 April. Kanazawa is a few days later: it normally starts flowering on 3 April, with full bloom on 8 April.

What you're looking at: this is a real Arcway trip. The map and timeline below come from its bookings: flights, shinkansen, an express bus, a ferry, stays and activities, each in local time. The times are an example, so check current timetables before you book. The trip also still has two open gaps, which Arcway flags: no transport yet from Takayama to Kyoto, and no place to stay in Hiroshima.

At a glance

  • 16 days, 6 bases: Tokyo (4 nights), Kanazawa (2, in a ryokan), Takayama (2), Kyoto (3), Hiroshima (2, still to book) and Osaka (1).
  • Getting around: 3 shinkansen rides plus the Narita Express, an express bus through the mountains, the short ferry to Miyajima, and flights into Narita and home from Kansai.
  • Blossom timing: Tokyo is right on the average peak. Kyoto, Hiroshima and Osaka come just after it, and Kanazawa just before.

Copy this trip into Arcway, which is free. It moves every day to your own dates, and once you forward your bookings, it shows what's still missing.

Saturday · 27 MarchDay 1
Sunday · 28 MarchDay 2
Photo: MaedaAkihiko · CC0
TrainJR East · Narita Express 22
12:48Narita Airport Terminal 1 Station
1h 22m
14:10Shinjuku Station
ClassReserved seat
Booking.com
Stay · Check-in 15:00

Hotel Kizuna Shinjuku

3-chome Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0022
Check-outThu 1 Apr · 09:30
Nights4
RoomCorner double, city view
Monday · 29 MarchDay 3
Activity · 10:00

teamLab Planets

teamLab Planets TOKYO, 6-1-16 Toyosu, Koto City, Tokyo
Tuesday · 30 MarchDay 4
Activity · 09:00

Tsukiji market food tour

Tsukiji Outer Market, 4-chome Tsukiji, Chuo City, Tokyo
Activity · 17:20

Shibuya Sky at sunset

SHIBUYA SKY, 2-24-12 Shibuya, Shibuya City, Tokyo
Wednesday · 31 MarchDay 5
Activity · 12:00

Hanami picnic in Ueno Park

Ueno Park, Uenokoen, Taito City, Tokyo
Thursday · 1 AprilDay 6
09:30Check out of Hotel Kizuna Shinjuku
Ryokan Higashiyama-so
Stay · Check-in 15:00

Ryokan Higashiyama-so

1-chome Higashiyama, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0831
Check-outSat 3 Apr · 10:00
Nights2
RoomJapanese-style room, dinner and breakfast included
Friday · 2 AprilDay 7
Activity · 08:30

Kenroku-en garden

Kenroku-en, 1 Kenrokumachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa
Activity · 14:00

Gold-leaf workshop in Higashi Chaya

Higashi Chaya District, Higashiyama, Kanazawa, Ishikawa
Saturday · 3 AprilDay 8
10:00Check out of Ryokan Higashiyama-so
BusNohi Bus · Kanazawa–Takayama express
11:10Kanazawa Station bus terminal
2h 15m
13:25Takayama Nohi Bus Center
Booking.com
Stay · Check-in 15:00

Sanmachi Machiya Inn

Kamisannomachi, Takayama, Gifu 506-0846
Check-outMon 5 Apr · 10:00
Nights2
RoomTwin room with breakfast
Sunday · 4 AprilDay 9
Activity · 07:30

Miyagawa morning market

Miyagawa Morning Market, Shimosannomachi, Takayama, Gifu
Activity · 15:00

Sake tasting in the old town

Sanmachi Suji, Kamisannomachi, Takayama, Gifu
Monday · 5 AprilDay 10
10:00Check out of Sanmachi Machiya Inn
Airbnb
Stay · Check-in 16:00

Gion machiya Tsubaki

Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto 605-0074
Check-outThu 8 Apr · 10:00
Nights3
Tuesday · 6 AprilDay 11
Activity · 06:00

Fushimi Inari at dawn

Fushimi Inari Taisha, 68 Fukakusa Yabunouchicho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto
Activity · 15:00

Tea ceremony in Gion

Gion, Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto
Wednesday · 7 AprilDay 12
Activity · 09:00

Arashiyama bamboo grove and river boat

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Sagaogurayama Tabuchiyamacho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto
Thursday · 8 AprilDay 13
10:00Check out of Gion machiya Tsubaki
Activity · 14:30

Peace Memorial Museum

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, 1-2 Nakajimacho, Naka Ward, Hiroshima
Friday · 9 AprilDay 14
FerryJR West Miyajima Ferry
13:40Miyajimaguchi ferry terminal
10m
13:50Miyajima ferry terminal
Activity · 14:30

Itsukushima Shrine at high tide

Itsukushima Shrine, 1-1 Miyajimacho, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima
Saturday · 10 AprilDay 15
Booking.com
Stay · Check-in 16:30

Hotel Naniwa Dotonbori

1-chome Dotonbori, Chuo Ward, Osaka 542-0071
Check-outSun 11 Apr · 08:00
Nights1
RoomStandard double
Activity · 19:30

Dotonbori street-food evening

Dotonbori, Dotonbori, Chuo Ward, Osaka
Sunday · 11 AprilDay 16
08:00Check out of Hotel Naniwa Dotonbori
Home in AmsterdamSun 11 Apr · 19:10

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Fly to Tokyo

    An overnight flight from Amsterdam to Narita.

  2. Day 2 · Narita Express to Shinjuku

    Land in the morning and take the Narita Express straight to Shinjuku, about an hour and a half. You'll be based in Shinjuku for four nights.

  3. Day 3 · teamLab Planets

    Timed tickets for the walk-through digital art museum at Toyosu. Book ahead in blossom season.

  4. Day 4 · Tsukiji and Shibuya Sky

    A morning food tour of the Tsukiji Outer Market, then the Shibuya Sky rooftop timed for sunset. Sunset slots sell out first.

  5. Day 5 · Hanami in Ueno Park

    A picnic under the cherry trees in Ueno Park, one of Tokyo's best-known blossom spots. In an average year this is right around Tokyo's full bloom. Go early on weekends, when people claim spots under the trees.

  6. Day 6 · Shinkansen to Kanazawa

    The Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station reaches Kanazawa in about two and a half hours. Two nights in a ryokan with dinner and breakfast.

  7. Day 7 · Kenroku-en and gold leaf

    Morning at Kenroku-en, one of Japan's most celebrated gardens, then a gold-leaf workshop in the Higashi Chaya teahouse district. Kanazawa blooms later than Tokyo: its normal flowering date is 3 April. In an average year you'll see the start of the bloom rather than the peak.

  8. Day 8 · Express bus to Takayama

    An express bus from Kanazawa Station to Takayama, a little over two hours through the mountains. Reserve seats ahead.

  9. Day 9 · Takayama old town

    The Miyagawa morning market by the river, then sake tasting in the old merchant streets of Sanmachi. Takayama is higher and cooler, so its cherry trees usually bloom well after Kyoto's.

  10. Day 10 · On to Kyoto

    There's no transport in the trip yet for this leg, and Arcway flags the gap. The usual way is the JR Limited Express Hida to Nagoya, then the Tokaido Shinkansen to Kyoto. Three nights in a machiya townhouse in Gion.

  11. Day 11 · Fushimi Inari at dawn, tea in Gion

    Fushimi Inari's thousands of torii gates are at their quietest at first light. In the afternoon there's a tea ceremony in Gion. Kyoto's normal full bloom is 4 April, so this is near the peak in an average year.

  12. Day 12 · Arashiyama

    The bamboo grove early in the day, then a boat on the river.

  13. Day 13 · Shinkansen to Hiroshima

    A Nozomi from Kyoto reaches Hiroshima in under two hours. Spend the afternoon at the Peace Memorial Museum. A place to stay for the two Hiroshima nights isn't booked yet.

  14. Day 14 · Miyajima

    From Hiroshima Station, the JR Sanyo Line reaches Miyajimaguchi in about 30 minutes, then the ferry takes around 10. Since October 2023, a 100 yen visitor tax is added to the ferry fare. Itsukushima Shrine only looks like it's floating when the tide is above about 250 cm, and you can walk out to the great torii when it's below 100 cm. Check the Miyajima Tourist Association's tide table for your date.

  15. Day 15 · Shinkansen to Osaka, Dotonbori at night

    A Nozomi to Shin-Osaka, check in near Dotonbori, and spend the evening eating your way along the canal.

  16. Day 16 · Fly home from Kansai

    Leave early for Kansai International Airport and your flight home.

Questions

When is the best time for a cherry blossom trip to Japan?
In an average year, late March to early April. The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991–2020 normals put full bloom on 31 March in Tokyo, 3 April in Hiroshima, 4 April in Kyoto and Osaka, and 8 April in Kanazawa. Recent springs have often run a few days early: in 2026, Tokyo reached full bloom on 28 March and Kyoto on 30 March. Forecasters such as the Japan Meteorological Corporation publish forecasts from winter onwards.
How long do cherry blossoms last?
Only about a week or two in any one place, with full bloom in the middle. That's why this itinerary moves through cities that bloom at slightly different times.
Is two weeks enough for Japan in cherry blossom season?
Two weeks is enough for Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, plus a detour through Kanazawa and Takayama and a day trip to Miyajima, without rushing. Book hotels early: blossom season is one of Japan's busiest times.
How do I use this itinerary for my own trip?
Copy it into Arcway, which is free, and choose your dates. Every day shifts to match, with times kept local. Arcway then flags what's still missing, such as the Takayama–Kyoto leg or a Hiroshima hotel, and your forwarded booking emails fill those gaps.
Copy this trip into Arcway

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