Japan in March
Temperatures climb back up. The first blossom opens in the south, at the very start of the season. A gamble. Blossom opens around March 20 in the south and lasts about 10 days in any one place. Japanese school holidays run through the last week.
Temperature
14°C (57°F) / 5°C (41°F)
in Tokyo, afternoon and night
Crowds
busy
across the cities we track (checked Oct 16)
Ryokan booking
already open
traditional inns · don't wait for a discount
Japan weather in March, north to south
| City | Afternoon / night | Rain or snow |
|---|---|---|
| Sapporo north (Hokkaido) | 5°C (41°F) / -2°C (28°F) | little rain 78 mm, one day in 2 |
| Tokyo central (Kanto) | 14°C (57°F) / 5°C (41°F) | about average 116 mm, one day in 3 |
| Kyoto central (Kansai) | 14°C (57°F) / 4°C (39°F) | about average 106 mm, one day in 3 |
| Osaka central (Kansai) | 14°C (57°F) / 6°C (43°F) | about average 103 mm, one day in 3 |
| Naha far south (Okinawa) | 22°C (72°F) / 17°C (63°F) | about average 143 mm, one day in 3 |
Snow still lies in Sapporo, 74 cm over the month, while Kyoto spends its afternoons at 14°C (57°F). See “Blossom and autumn colors, region by region” in the month-by-month overview
Thirty-year averages (1991-2020) recorded by the Japan Meteorological Agency, which tell you the month's usual climate and not the weather you will actually get on the dates you have chosen. Last checked August 8, 2026.
Roughly what it costs
Occupancy (official statistics, 2023-2025)
busy
64%
Price range per night
per night, two people
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The dates in March
March 2027 has 2 public holidays and one date when something is happening, and the nights before those holidays are the most expensive of the month: ryokan charge their Saturday rate for them.
March sumo tournament (Haru-basho), Osaka
Fifteen days at the Edion Arena Osaka. Tickets go a month ahead, the weekend dates first.
Osaka fills up
Public holiday: Vernal Equinox Day
Many Japanese visit the family grave to clean it and pay their respects.
everything fills up
Public holiday: Substitute holiday
everything fills up
quiet
nothing to plan around
If your dates can move: shift by a day to miss the nights before a holiday.
If they are fixed: book those nights first, they are the ones that go fastest. The rest of the month can wait.
Where to start
The order matters more than how early you get to it.
Kyoto and the small stops first
Kyoto, Kanazawa, Takayama, and any night in a ryokan: few rooms, and the whole of Japan is aiming at the same dates, so this is where rooms run out first, not in Tokyo.
Tokyo and Osaka can wait
Tens of thousands of rooms. These cities are never really full. The simplest approach is still to book it all in one go, on free cancellation rates for whatever might still move.
Three questions about March
Is March cold in Japan?
In Tokyo, 14°C (57°F) in the afternoon and 5°C (41°F) at night on average, while at the same moment Sapporo sits at 5°C (41°F) and Naha at 22°C (72°F). Snow still lies in Sapporo, 74 cm over the month, while Kyoto spends its afternoons at 14°C (57°F).
Is March cheaper?
Across the cities we track, hotel occupancy sits at the average for the year. The price range for the month is in the budget block, city by city.
Is the cherry blossom out in March?
Only in the south, and only at the very start of the bloom. In Tokyo and Kyoto the real thing begins closer to March 20 in a good year.
Going further
Calendar
How to book hotels in Japan: when sales open
The costly mistake is reading an empty calendar as a full one.
Calendar
Sumo tickets: six tournaments, six sale dates
Six 15-day tournaments a year. Three sit in Tokyo. Each has its own sale date, and the gap between that sale and the first bout runs from 29 to 57 days.
Calendar
Cherry blossom season in Japan, and fall foliage
Somebody counts the flowers by hand. First bloom is 5 or 6 flowers open on one marked tree, full bloom is 4 buds in 5, and they sit 5 to 10 days apart.
The next step
Which site to book on
Every site holds a different slice of Japan. See which site holds what.
Before you book: what a ryokan rate includes. It counts people rather than rooms, and dinner is nearly always part of it, served at a fixed time that you pick when you book rather than on the evening itself. Read the ryokan page.
Bookings for your dates open on a fixed date. We write that day.
Say you're after the cherry blossoms in April 2027: ryokan inns open around October. On the day, you get an email, you book, and it's done.
Temperature and rainfall: 1991-2020 normals from the Japan Meteorological Agency. Occupancy from Japan's official tourism statistics, public holidays from the official calendar. Tanuki Trip never books on your behalf. You book it yourself, wherever you want.