If someone asks when the best time to visit Japan is, we will say cherry blossoms season in spring or colouring leaves season in autumn without a doubt!

As Japan lies long from north to south, the exact timing depends on which part of Japan you will visit. Cherry blossom starts from south of Japan and goes up the island toward north. During the fully blossoming period it will be covered by pretty pale pink everywhere you go – streets, parks, along the rivers – and this is mesmerizing! It is said that there is a special pheromone in the cherry trees that makes people feel happy and excited. That may explain the tradition in Japan to have a picnic or a party under the beautiful cherry blossom to celebrate its beauty.

The most difficult thing for travelers is to catch the perfect timing. If you visit Tokyo which is in the middle of island of Japan, the best timing would be from the end of March to the beginning of April, and of course this can be little earlier if they have warmer spring or can be later when they have colder spring. Cherry blossoms fully blossom only for about one week and that makes it even more precious! In a worst case scenario, say if you have missed the perfect timing and it’s already mostly gone when you arrived, you might as well take a little trip to mountain area or to north to catch up with it!

On the other hand, autumn colouring leaves starts from the opposite way, it starts from colder north of Japan then goes down to south. During this season, tree leaves (mainly maples) turn into red, pink, orange and yellow, and when you are surrounded by these full of colours, it is purely breathtakingly beautiful!

It starts from late September in north and then comes down the island of Japan. If you are in Tokyo, it will be around mid-November however you better take a little trip to more nature destinations such as Okutama, Hakone or Nikko to enjoy the best of it. In these mountain areas the best season will be from late October to early November. If you visit the west of Japan such as Kyoto, Nara or Osaka you can enjoy the colours from early November to early December.

Wonderful thing about Japan is this country has distinctive four seasons – spring, summer, autumn and winter – for everyone to enjoy each face of different seasons. Summer can be very hot and humid but if you visit Japan Alps mountain and highland areas, Mother Nature will be incredibly kind and nurturing to you not to mention its beauty! For winter, Japan’s powder snow has become very popular in past years and many tourists from overseas started to come for skiing or snowboarding trip as well. Hot or cold, you will sure to have an awesome time in this modern yet exotic country.