I’m truly fortunate – I grew up surrounded by wild cherries. And I’ve lived in cities known for cherry blossoms. But even though every single bloom carries it’s own perfection, the blooms can – IME -- be extraordinarily ephemeral. So I’m more comfortable planning my trips around flowers and flowering shrubs that tend to have a longer life, such as azelia. JMO.

You might want to consult some of the blooming calendars for areas you hope to visit....

Oh that's a great idea kja and actually, you've made me think of a photo/ blog post I bookmarked (in one folder of hundreds of unsorted Japan-related bookmarks - duh) about a park that celebrates a particular meadow flower, the entire place is carpeted in pinks and purples of different shades. That would be fun to see, and perhaps have a longer window too.

I think the crowds might also have to do with the favorable yen/$ exchange rate. Last year at this time $1 bought approximately ¥101 and today ¥117.

I have always traveled around the end of March/beginning of April except for one trip in November so I am not aware of price differences....

But hotels have certainly sold out early this year....many posts about this on TA.

One of the things that guided my timing was the projected blooming of iris, and I was very fortunate -- I hit their peak at Kokoen, Korakuen, Heian Jingu, and Kenrokuen -- awesome! I was a bit too early for the iris at Meiji Jingu, but one can't have everything. ;-)

First time we went, GBP £1 bought ¥110 whereas now it's ¥179!

So I'm very keen to get back. I can't book until I secure next contract, I'm a freelance IT bod, I always take a couple of months off between contracts but now time to find the next one. Once that's signed, I'll go ahead and book something, hopefully!