How to use Instagram to maximize your sakura season

Instagram is a great tool for planning your sakura season in Japan. With millions of photos and travel accounts, the platform is handy for providing inspiration and tips about some of the best cherry blossom destinations across the country. Here are some tips on how to use Instagram to maximize your sakura season.

Search hashtags

Using hashtags such as #SakuraJapan, #JapanSpring, and #CherryBlossomJapan is a great way to discover popular sakura spots and get ideas for your springtime travels. You can also search for the name of the city or region you plan to visit along with the word "sakura" to find more specific information.

Another tip about hashtags is to make sure you translate them into Japanese as well, not just English. You'll get a lot more results that way, and uncover some off the radar spots.

Searching hashtags is a great way to get sakura inspiration - the most difficult part will be filtering that down into a concise list of places you want to visit!

Follow travel accounts

Following Japan-based travel accounts such as @tokyo.ig and @japan.explores is a great way to get tips and recommendations on the best sakura spots across the country. Many individual travel bloggers also post detailed cherry blossom guides and itineraries on their Instagram feeds, and some I would recommend include @yoko_lost_in_japan, @ariel.land, and @wanderfulanya.

Save posts

Using the save feature on Instagram allows you to create a collection of posts covering sakura destinations you want to visit. I find this particularly helpful during the planning stage, so I don't forget places that have caught my eye!

Check location tags

Checking the location tags of popular sakura spots allows you to see photos and information from other users who have visited the same place. You can also sort by the most recent photos to get an idea of how busy the spot is + how far progressed the blossoms are. I find the latter particularly helpful to make sure I'm timing my visit to coincide with peak bloom!

Engage with other users

If you've got questions, I recommend engaging with other Instagram users who have visited sakura spots that you're also interested in. Most people seem more than happy to answer any questions you might have if you just leave a comment on their post! You never know, you may even make a friend by doing that!

I hope that if you're planning out your sakura season in Japan, that these tips make your life a little easier. Have a wonderful spring!