Why visiting Japan in cherry blossom season could cost less this year

Japan’s cherry blossom season is a notoriously popular time for tourists to visit and often sees prices spike. But 2026 might be one of the cheapest years in recent history to witness the famed sakura.

The country has seen a sharp drop in tourist numbers from mainland China following the suggestions late last year by Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, that her country could deploy its military if China attempted to invade Taiwan.

It has triggered a decrease in the cost of flights and accommodation, which is expected to persist into March and April, when the cherry trees usually bloom.

At the same time, Japan has introduced a slew of new tourist taxes and fees, so the cost of your trip depends on your destination and travel plans.

Why your trip to see Japan’s cherry blossoms may be cheaper this year

Japan, although perennially popular, is experiencing a surge in visitor interest.

“We’ve seen a 23 per cent increase in bookings from UK and European customers in the past year,” Kenny Onishi, Intrepid’s General Manager for Japan, tells Euronews Travel.

But the country’s primary tourist market is East Asia, and visitors from China have fallen about 45 per cent this month compared to a year earlier, Japan’s transport ministry said on Tuesday.

China has ordered its airlines to reduce flight schedules to Japan until March. Air China, for example, axed 23 flights between Shanghai and Osaka, and 14 flights between Chongqing and Tokyo in December 2025, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

This, combined with the fact that the Japanese yen is at a historic low, has pushed prices for flights, hotels and tours down 10 to 20 per cent compared to 2025.

The steepest drops have been seen in popular cities such as Kyoto and Osaka, Ben Julius, founder of travel company Tourist Japan, told The Straits Times.

Both independent travel and tour packages are seeing more competitive pricing this year.

“The depreciation of the yen means other currencies, like the Euro and the Great British Pound, are going further in Japan,” says Onishi.

“Our Intrepid trip prices in the UK have seen a slight decrease overall in 2026 compared to last year because of this.”

Earlier this month, the Japan Meteorological Corporation released its cherry blossom forecast, predicting milder temperatures and earlier blooms.

Tokyo’s flowering date is expected to fall on 20 March, while Osaka’s is 24 March. Okinawa’s comes earlier, from January to February.

It means for destinations like these, travellers could benefit from the drop in travel costs.

However, even if prices for accommodation and tours have dropped, there may be other costs you need to budget for in 2026.

Tourists to Japan need to budget for hiked fees in 2026

Japan’s decades-old visa fees have been under review. Currently, a single-entry visa costs around JPY 3,000 (€19) and a multiple-entry visa about JPY 6,000 (€38).

If brought into line with other comparable economies – such as the UK’s £127 (€150) or the EU’s €90 fee for a Schengen visa – travellers who require a visa could see a major increase in the price of their trip.

Currently, the government has proposed to raise the fee to ¥15,000 (€80) for single-entry and ¥30,000 (€161) for multiple-entry, starting around April 2026.

Travellers heading to places like Tokyo, Osaka or Okinawa, where the cherry blossom season falls in March or earlier, should be able to avoid the hiked fee. But Hokkaido, for example, sees its flowering from April to May.

Those visiting Kyoto for sakura, predicted to start on 24 March this year, will have to budget for higher accommodation taxes too.

Under the new system coming into force on 1 March, visitors staying in luxury hotels will pay JPY 10,000 (€56) or more per night, while those in mid-range accommodation will be charged between JPY 1,000 and JPY 4,000 (€5.50 and €23).

The lowest rate, JPY 200 (about €1), will apply to budget stays under JPY 6,000 (€34) per night.

The Japanese government is also planning to increase the international departure tax later in the year.

This fee, collected from all people leaving the country, most often those who travel by air, was introduced in 2019 at a flat rate of ¥1,000 (about €5.50). Officials are now raising it closer to “international standards”.

Germany, for example, charges departure fees for departing air passengers that range from €15.53 to €39.34 for nearby countries and €70.83 for all others.

From July 2026, Japan’s departure fee will triple to ¥3,000 (about €16) per person for all travellers (aged two and older) leaving by air or sea.