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Plum Blossom Season in Japan 2027: When and Where to See Ume
From Atami in January to Sapporo in May: when plum blossoms bloom in each region of Japan, and the 2027 plum festival dates announced so far.
Japan's plum blossom (ume) season runs for months, not weeks. The first blossoms open in Atami in early January, the main season moves through Kyushu, Kansai and Kanto in February and early March, and the last groves in northern Japan bloom in April and even May. This guide shows when to go where in 2027, and which festival dates have already been announced.
Bloom times below are the usual seasons published by each garden or town; the actual timing moves with the weather by a week or two. Check the bloom calendar and, from January, our bloom reports before you travel.
When plum blossoms bloom, place by place
| Garden | Prefecture | Usual bloom |
|---|---|---|
| Atami Baien Plum Garden | Shizuoka | Early January – early March |
| Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine | Fukuoka | Late January – early March |
| Kitano Tenmangu Shrine | Kyoto | Early February – late March |
| Osaka Castle Park Plum Grove | Osaka | Early February – early March |
| Hanegi Park | Tokyo | Early February – early March |
| Minabe Plum Grove | Wakayama | Early – late February |
| Kishu Ishigami Tanabe Plum Grove | Wakayama | Early February – early March |
| Soga Plum Grove | Kanagawa | Early – late February |
| Kairakuen Garden | Ibaraki | Mid February – mid March |
| Yushima Tenmangu Shrine | Tokyo | Mid February – early March |
| Ogose Plum Grove | Saitama | Mid February – mid March |
| Yugawara Plum Grove | Kanagawa | Mid February – early March |
| Haruna Plum Grove | Gunma | Mid February – late March |
| Tsukigase Plum Grove | Nara | Late February – late March |
| Ume no Koen Park (Ome) | Tokyo | Late February – mid March |
| Jonangu Shrine | Kyoto | Late February – mid March |
| Kenrokuen Plum Grove | Ishikawa | From mid March |
| Kanabotoke Ume Park | Akita | Early April (viewing event) |
| Hiraoka Park Plum Grove | Hokkaido (Sapporo) | Late April – early May |
Plum blossoms come before cherry blossoms: in most of Japan the ume season is over by the time the sakura open at the end of March. If you are not sure which is which, see Ume vs Sakura.
2027 plum festivals announced so far
Most gardens hold a plum festival (ume matsuri) at the peak, with food stalls, local products and sometimes evening illuminations. These 2027 dates have been announced (they can change with the bloom):
| Festival | Prefecture | 2027 dates |
|---|---|---|
| Atami Baien Plum Festival | Shizuoka | January 9 – March 7 |
| Minabe Plum Grove (open season) | Wakayama | From late January (planned) |
| Kanmuri Park Ume Festival | Yamaguchi | Early to late February (planned) |
| Ume no Utage, Yugawara Plum Grove | Kanagawa | February 6 – March 7 |
| Setagaya Plum Festival | Tokyo | February 6 – February 28 |
| Sori-ike Plum Festival | Aichi | February 13 – March 14 |
| Weeping Plum and Camellia Festival, Jonangu Shrine | Kyoto | February 18 – March 22 |
| Weeping Ume Festival, Suzuka no Mori Garden | Mie | February 20 – late March (planned) |
| Baikasai, Kitano Tenmangu Shrine | Kyoto | February 25 (every year) |
Minabe announces its exact opening dates around November. The Baikasai at Kitano Tenmangu includes a large outdoor tea ceremony.
Big festivals not announced yet
These festivals have not announced their 2027 dates yet. Their 2026 dates are shown as a guide: they are held at about the same time every year, moving a few days to fit the weekends. Most dates come out between November and January, and we add them to the festival page as soon as they do.
| Festival | Prefecture | 2026 dates |
|---|---|---|
| Odawara Ume Festival (Soga Plum Grove) | Kanagawa | February 7 – March 1 |
| Mt. Tsukuba Plum Festival | Ibaraki | February 7 – March 15 |
| Kishu Ishigami Tanabe Plum Grove open season | Wakayama | February 9 – March 8 |
| Mito Ume Festival (Kairakuen and Kodokan) | Ibaraki | February 11 – March 22 |
| Ogose Plum Grove Festival | Saitama | February 14 – March 15 |
| Yoshino Baigo Ume Festival (Ome) | Tokyo | February 21 – March 22 |
| Haruna Ume Festival | Gunma | March 15 |
| Hiraoka Ume Festival (Sapporo) | Hokkaido | April 25 – May 10 |
For the Mito festival's bloom, events and access from Tokyo, see Mito Plum Blossom Festival 2027.
Choosing where to go
- Short on time in Tokyo? Yushima Tenmangu is about two minutes on foot from Yushima Station, and Hanegi Park is five minutes from Umegaoka Station.
- Staying in Kyoto or Osaka? Kitano Tenmangu, Jonangu and Osaka Castle Park are all in the city.
- Want a sea of blossoms? Minabe Plum Grove (about 80,000 trees), Haruna Plum Grove (about 120,000) and Soga Plum Grove (about 35,000) are working orchards on a huge scale. In Wakayama, the Kishu Ishigami Tanabe Plum Grove looks down on orchards from a ridge. Kanto's orchards are mostly Shirokaga, Wakayama's mostly Nanko.
- Coming in January? Atami Baien is the safest bet, and Atami is a hot-spring town, so it makes an easy overnight trip.
For a day-by-day plan, see our one-week February itinerary, and the plum blossom map for every garden we list.
