Spending related to Japan’s hanami (cherry blossom viewing) season is expected to reach a record high this year, with the blooms providing an additional draw for the increasing number of inbound tourists.
In January and February 2025, Japan welcomed 5.48 million international visitors, a 28.5 per cent increase year-on-year, despite being the off-peak season, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Katsuhiro Miyamoto of Kansai University predicts the 2025 hanami season will generate a record 1.39 trillion yen (US$9.43 billion) of economic impact nationwide, with more than 25 per cent of visitors hailing from overseas, which would be the highest ratio ever recorded.
Indeed, in March inbound visitors totalled 45 per cent of all cruise passengers on cherry blossom cruises along Tokyo’s Meguro River, a spot renowned for the pink blooms, up from 41 per cent in 2024, according to operator Spice Serve Co.
New services catering to the high-end market have also been launched. The Sakura Ride Plan, for example, offers a private chauffeur-driven car around Tokyo’s blossom sites “free from rain, pollen and crowds” with champagne for 56,000 yen .
And, as this year’s cherry blossom season drew to a close in Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku, some international visitors travelled north to “follow” the blooms, including to Tohoku, which experienced peak blossoms in mid-April, and Hokkaido, which celebrated the hanami season between late April and early May, thereby extending their economic impact across the country.
