Seasons, festivals and trip planning
Plum and cherry blossoms, summer festivals, autumn leaves and how to plan a short or a long stay.
Izu's mild climate gives it Japan's earliest cherry blossoms and a festival calendar that runs from the narcissus of December to the maples of late autumn. Use the month-by-month guide to choose your dates, then read the pages on each festival, or our guide to staying for weeks rather than days.
When to visit Izu: a month-by-month guide to flowers, festivals and beaches
Plum blossoms in January, Japan's earliest cherry blossoms in February, hydrangeas in June, beaches in summer and maple leaves in late autumn: what each month brings on the Izu Peninsula.
A long stay in Izu from elsewhere in Asia: visas, where to base yourself and what to budget
Planning weeks rather than days in Izu from Singapore or another Asian base: visa rules, the best towns for a long stay, monthly costs and how it compares with keeping your city home.
Shimoda Hydrangea Festival (June)
Throughout June, about 150,000 hydrangea plants and 3 million blooms cover Shimoda Park.
Black Ship Festival (Kurofune Matsuri), Shimoda
Each May, Shimoda commemorates the 1854 arrival of Commodore Perry's fleet with parades, ceremonies and fireworks over the harbour.
Shimoda Taiko Festival at Hachiman Shrine (14–15 August)
Shimoda's summer festival: portable shrines and drum floats parade through the town for two days in mid-August.
Tsumekizaki Narcissus Festival (20 December – 31 January)
Over three million white narcissus bloom on the Suzaki peninsula east of Shimoda in midwinter.
Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival (February – early March)
Japan's best-known early cherry blossoms: about 850 Kawazu-zakura trees along the Kawazu river, in bloom from early February.
Izu-Kogen cherry avenue and festival (late March – early April)
A long avenue of Somei-Yoshino cherry trees that starts a few minutes from Izu-Kogen station, lit up at night during the festival.
Komuroyama Park azaleas (late April – early May)
About 100,000 azaleas of some 40 varieties cover the slopes of Mount Komuro above Ito in spring.
Inatori Hosono Highlands: silver grass in autumn
A 125-hectare upland above Inatori where pampas grass (susuki) turns silver and gold from October to November.
Kawazu-zakura 2027: planning a February trip for Japan's earliest cherry blossoms
Kawazu's deep-pink cherries bloom a month or more before Tokyo's. What we know about the 2027 season, how the festival usually runs, and how to beat the crowds.