The cherry blossom, the "Sakura", attracts many tourists from all over the world in March and April • Now, due to a change in schedule, tourists are afraid of missing out

The crazy weather disrupts Japan travel plans. The tourists who booked flights and hotels for April, for the flowering period, can only reach the end, because the flowering is probably a week or two ahead of the fixed date each year.

The cherry blossoms are formed during the summer of the previous year, but the buds do not begin to grow once they are formed. They first enter a period of hibernation that allows them to survive the winter. Towards spring the buds arise, enter the growth stage and grow as the temperatures rise, until the flowering stage. The warming has caused the buds to start waking up already and the full bloom in central Japan will be in about two months.

It is estimated that about five million tourists from all over the world travel to Japan during the boom. Most, more than two million tourists, come from South Korea and China alone. This year, tourists from Israel have a uniqueness: El Al starts direct flights between Ben Gurion Airport and Tokyo on March 27, and flights ahead of flowering, the "Sakura" are almost full.

An attraction for tourists from all over the world. Japan's Sakura // Photo: Reuters

It turns out that hotels in Japan were not prepared for the rash change due to the heat. According to a review of the hotel prices comparison site, Hotel Combined, during peak flowering days this year prices are routine, while in April, hotel and resort prices climb to peak flowering prices, which will no longer be. Travelers who want to visit Japan and see the amazing flowering should re-plan the travel times according to the flowering flow, which begins in southern Japan and gradually makes its way north.

Hotel Combined reviews show that a double night rate at a 3-star hotel in Tokyo ranges from NIS 340-420 in March and in April they climb to NIS 410-720 per night. Five-star luxury hotels are priced at NIS 1,300-2400 for March, at the height of flowering, and jump to a price level of NIS 4,800 at the end of April. Accommodation apartments are offered NIS 190-240 in March and climb to NIS 500-100 in April.

According to Liat Salem of Hotel Combined, "Cherry blossoms are a major tourist season that epitomizes spring tourism in Japan. Almost all marketing tourism material can be seen incorporating photo of a cherry branch at the height of its bloom. The flowers fall out and according to Japanese culture the event gives a blatant reminder that although life is beautiful, they also pass away soon. " She said, "The introduction of the unexpected blossom highlights the priority that should be given to places where there is a possibility of cancellation or change at no cost to maintain flexibility in unexpected cases."

To know when and where you can see the cherry blossoms in Japan, check out the link below
https://livejapan.com/en/article-a0001033/