Top 7 Spring Festivals in Japan to Experience Hanami

Did you know? There are around 200,000 matsuri festivals in Japan that are held annually. Matsuri, or festival in English, is a traditional event that gives you a view into ancient Japanese culture. These well-preserved historical events are handed down through generations, making them a unique experience for Japanese and travellers!

There are many Japanese celebrations, one of which is Hanami. What is Hanami? Hanami means "flower viewing", and it's a celebration in Japan because of the cherry blossoms that bloom during the start of spring. Which Hanami festivals are a must when you visit Japan? We've compiled a few of the best spring festivals you can celebrate, no matter what part of Japan you are in!

There are many things to do to celebrate the festivals in Japan! One is cherry blossom viewing, the main activity at a Hanami festival in Japan. Here, you may enjoy the cherry blossoms in various ways, like strolling through parks, relaxing beneath trees, or even taking a riverboat ride!

Another activity to do for Hanami in Japan is having a picnic or a tea party. Nothing beats a celebration with a full stomach! You can bring your potlucks as long as you practice "CLAYGO" (cleaning as you go).

Lastly, you can also go on a food trip and sample the different Japanese traditional foods—especially the seasonal ones that are Sakura-themed! Japanese festivals are only complete with a Hanamizake—a Cherry Blossom Sake. You should also grab Japanese street food such as dango (rice flour dumpling), mochi (sweet rice cakes), and takoyaki (octopus balls)!

For more tips, check out this Hanami 101 blog and make the most out of your Hanami experience!

One of the popular festivals in Japan is the Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival! From February to the beginning of March, Kawazu on the Izu Peninsula holds this as an annual festival. This is one of the flower festivals celebrating the Kawazu Cherry Trees, also known as the Kawazuzakura.

The festival began in the 1950s in Kawazu, and today, visitors can see the over-60-year-old Kawazuzakura tree up close. The best time to see them is usually the second week of February or early March, but this can change based on the weather.

Want to see the Kawazuzakura? Check out this Mito Plum Blossom Festival, Kawazuzakura Festival, Oiwa Shrine Day Trip and journey through eastern Japan!

On this day trip, you can see the plum blossoms in different stages at Kairakuen's Mito Plum Blossom Festival. Then, at Ibaraki Flower Park, you can see around 250 of the Kawazuzakura trees and other beautiful blooms like the Adonis ramosa and Christmas rose. Lastly, you can visit or pray to almost all of Japan's gods at the Oiwa Shrine, home to 188 gods.

Check out other cherry blossom experiences you can have by reading this blog!

One of Japan's famous festivals for seeing shibazakura (lawn cherry blossoms) is the Fuji Shibasakura Festival. This spring festival typically runs from mid-April to late May and early June.

Its location is conveniently at the Fuji Motosuko Resort, and you can see the vast fields of shibazakura, with Mount Fuji saying hello in the background!

There are about 500,000 stalks of five different kinds of shibazakura on show, making beautiful fields of pink, white, and purple in a range of shades.

Greet the shibazakura with this Mt. Fuji Flower Festival & Ropeway & Fruit Picking Tour! On this tour from Tokyo, you'll see some of Japan's most famous sights! You can eat and pick as many fresh fruits as possible at Yamanashi Orchard to start your day.

You will also get free entry to the Shibazakura Festival or Lake Yamanaka Flower Park, where many Sakura flowers surround you! Each person who comes can get a small Disney character item as a gift. How kawaii!

You can also opt for the Fuji Shibasakura Festival Bus Ticket. With this, you can visit the festival and access a round-trip bus from Shinjuku Station, making it easy to get around places!

Around 14,000 cherry trees bloom in the city of Hitachi from the beginning to the middle of April. Cue the Hitachi Cherry Blossom Festival! As night falls during this annual festival, the trees on Heiwa Street and Juo Panorama Park are lit up. In fact, the event is one of the 100 most beautiful cherry blossom festivals in Japan!

A grand parade goes down Heiwa Street on the first weekend of April. Fancy floats, 15 metres high and 8 metres wide, are pulled down the road during the celebrations. Up-scale puppet shows are also held on the floats.

Fun fact: People say that these puppet shows have been going on since the middle of the Edo Period, and it is one of Japan's events listed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

You can fully enjoy the Hitachi Cherry Blossom Festival with this pass. It also lets you experience the awestriking views at Hitachi National Seaside Park, the beautiful wisterias at Ashikaga Flower Park, and the peaceful Mito Kairakuen Park.

The Matsuyama Spring Festival takes place on the first weekend of early April, perfectly timed just as the weather gets warmer. The cherry blossom flowers should be entirely blossoming by then, and the city's residents and tourists will be actively involved in a wide range of free events!

On Saturday morning, the first event of this Japanese festival is the Yakyuken event in front of Matsuyama Castle. Matsuyama is where yakyu (baseball) was first played in Japan, and it's all because of haiku (poem) artist Masaoka Shiki that the sport gained popularity in the country. 

Fun fact: A party game called Yakyuken honours this history by combining baseball moves with those from scissors-paper-stone in its gameplay.

Every day at noon, traditional songs called Iyobushi are sung in the Shimin Kaikan hall. At night, there is a lion dance in front of the castle!

On Sunday, there is a Sunday walk through the middle of Matsuyama called the Daimyo Musha Gyoretsu. They wear traditional costumes like a samurai lord, ladies, soldiers, and courtiers. At 10 a.m., the event begins at the house with a Shinto blessing for the Lord and Lady. Along the middle ring of the castle, a row of cherry trees that are always in full bloom is open for everyone to see.

One of Japan's most famous festivals is the Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival! Every year, around the end of April, the cherry trees in Aomori Prefecture bloom and turn the area pink.

Hirosaki Park is famous for being one of the best places in Japan to see cherry blossoms. There are more than 50 kinds of cherry trees in this popular location. Somei Yoshino (Cherry flowers), Shidarezakura (Weeping Cherry), and Yaezakura (Double Layer Cherry) are just a few of them.

The Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival takes place every year from April 23rd to May 5th and draws over 2,000,000 people to the park. Starting with the Sakura Tunnel on the west pond, Hirosaki Park's cherry blossoms put on a wide range of shows for tourists all season long. You can paddle a small boat across the ditch to see the flowers shining off of it.

The Customisable Chartered Car One-Day Tour in Aomori, which you can book through Klook, is a one-of-a-kind way to see the beautiful scenery and cultural highlights of Aomori Prefecture. This custom-made trip is great for people who want to see some of Aomori's famous sights, like its beautiful natural areas and historical sites.

The Shiroishi Castle Cherry Blossom Festival takes place all throughout April in Masuoka Park, where Shiroishi Castle is located. From JR Shiroishi Station, it's an easy 10-minute walk. Masuoka Park has more than 200 trees with cherry blossoms. This well-known spot is filled with yearly hanami parties. The white castle walls and blue sky make the pink of the cherry blossoms stand out even more.

People from outside of Japan can enjoy hanami parties, which are a traditional way to enjoy the beauty of cherry blossoms while they last. These get-togethers, which usually have food, drinks, and friends, are a great way to learn about the festival's culture and build community spirit. Because the event is in Masuoka Park and is close to JR Shiroishi Station, it is an easy place for both locals and visitors to visit.

The chance to climb the Shiroishi Castle tower is one of the best parts of the event. From this vantage point, you can see Shiroishi City covered in pink cherry blossoms, which gives you a unique view of the event and the natural beauty around it.

As the sun goes down, bonbori (paper lamp) lanterns light up the park— giving the event a magical feel. By lighting up the cherry blossoms and the castle grounds with lanterns, they create a peaceful and charming atmosphere that makes for an amazing experience.

One of Japan's three largest festivals is the Takayama Festival in Gifu. It's made up of two events: one festival in the spring and one festival in the fall. The Sanno Festival in the spring is a great time to see beautiful boats called yatai and cherry blossoms in full bloom. The yatai-hikimawashi (pulling of the floats) event at the Hachiman Festival in the fall is famous for its show of four floats around the city.

Take advantage of the parade of hundreds of people wearing hakama (Japanese split skirts or pants) and flat straw hats. You can also see Karakuri shows, which use puppets that move on a track.

Gifu's streets are entirely dark and lined with houses from the Edo period. This atmosphere only makes way for a more beautiful sight as Yatai boats lit by 100 candles move through the streets.

To fully experience the Takayama Festival and learn about Gifu's rich history, you might want to rent a car through Klook. These car rentals make it easy to book and let you explore Gifu at your own pace, so you don't miss the beautiful shows at night or the fun events during the day.

If you have your own car, you can easily get to the city's historical places, beautiful scenery, and event settings, making your trip unique and memorable.

As the cherry blossoms bloom at the arrival of spring, each of these Hanami festivals offers memories that you will treasure forever. Whether you're taking in the sights under the blossoming trees with family, laughing with friends, or going on a solo journey, the beauty of Sakura in Japan awaits. For most festivals, there's truly no better way to welcome spring than by experiencing the Hanami festivals of Japan!

Curious about other Japanese customs? Read this cultural guide to Japan to learn more about Japanese practices and traditions!