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Plum Blossoms Come 1–2 Months Before Cherry Blossoms: Seeing Ume in Japan
How far apart are plum and cherry blossoms? Japan Meteorological Agency normals show ume opening about two months before cherry blossoms in Tokyo and about one month before in Kyoto.
Spring in Japan makes most people think of cherry blossoms. But plum blossoms (ume) open first. If you travel to Japan in winter or early spring, ume are the flowers to see.
When plum and cherry trees start to bloom (normal dates)
These are normal dates (1991–2020 averages), worked out from Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) data.
| City | Ume | Cherry | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | Jan 22 | Mar 24 | about 2 months |
| Nagoya | Jan 28 | Mar 24 | about 2 months |
| Fukuoka | Jan 31 | Mar 22 | about 50 days |
| Mito | Feb 3 | Mar 30 | about 2 months |
| Osaka | Feb 13 | Mar 27 | about 6 weeks |
| Kyoto | Feb 22 | Mar 26 | about 1 month |
These are the days JMA's sample trees start to bloom. Plum trees keep flowering for a while after that, and most spots are at their best from February to early March.
2027 festivals in February
Dates are out for these festivals:
- Atami Baien Plum Festival (Shizuoka): Jan 9 – Mar 7
- Yugawara Plum Grove "Ume no Utage" (Kanagawa): Feb 6 – Mar 7
- The 48th Setagaya Plum Festival (Tokyo): Feb 6 – Feb 28
In Kyoto, the Jonangu weeping plum festival starts on February 18, and the Kitano Tenmangu Baika-sai is on February 25. See Plum Festivals for the rest.
To tell the two apart, see Ume vs Sakura. New to plum viewing? Read What Is Ume?, and check the bloom report before you go.
