IN FULL BLOOM

Here are five ways to experience Japan's sakura season in all its beauty

- Sarah Stanley

Every year, travellers flock to Japan in early springtime, from March to April, to revel in the ephemeral beauty of delicate cherry blossoms in bloom.

The sakura season — endlessly admired for its vista of multitudinous pink clusters on cherry trees that sweep the country — has become only more popular in the post-Covid-19 era.

Travel booking platform Skyscanner observed a whopping 3,610 per cent increase in flight searches to Tokyo and a 2,320 per cent increase in flight searches to Osaka for April 2025, compared with April 2024.

A major trend identified in Skyscanner's Travel Trends 2025 report was a hike in travellers heading to destinations with floral attractions.

Ms Cyndi Hui, a travel trends and destination expert with Skyscanner, says a likely reason for the trend is a more acute desire for connection as the world becomes increasingly digital.

"More Singapore travellers are seeking solace in nature and craving experiences that offer tangible connection, tranquillity and rejuvenation," she adds.

"Floral phenomena allow travellers a peaceful and dreamy escape where they can immerse themselves in nature."

Similarly, travel booking platform Booking.com found that Singapore was among the top five source markets in the Asia-Pacific region — along with Australia, Hong Kong, Thailand and Taiwan — to search for stays in Japan during cherry blossom season in 2025.

It also found that Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka and Nagoya ranked as the top five destinations in Japan that Singapore users were searching for this cherry blossom season.

"The growing popularity of the less explored region of Nagoya could indicate interest in exploring alternative regions in Japan, potentially in a bid to avoid the high volumes of tourists in more well-known locations," says Mr Anthony Lu, regional director of South-east Asia and China at Booking.com.