Cherry Blossoms in March: The Expo's Opening Weeks
Your first stop in Yokohama in 2027 should be GREEN×EXPO 2027, the International Horticultural Expo running from March 19 to September 26 across 192 days. Arrive in the opening weeks and you walk into roughly 600 cherry trees of 40 varieties — Somei Yoshino, Edo-higan, Okame-zakura and Yokohama-hizakura among them — planted across the expo grounds. The theme is "Scenery of the Future for Happiness," and with more than 10 million visitors expected, the early spring window is when the grounds are at their most photogenic.
National Days and Special Days: 59 Countries, One Calendar
Across the expo's run, National Days and Special Days are scheduled for 59 participating countries and organizations, each designed to showcase that country's culture and foster international goodwill. The wider programme spans flowers and greenery, food and agriculture, music, sports, tourism and product exhibitions. Check the expo calendar as your travel dates firm up — these national days are the anchor events around which to build a day or a week.
- 75+ countries and international organizations participating
- All 47 Japanese prefectures represented
- 500+ private companies involved
Festivals, Sports and Stage Performances
The Omatsuri Saijiki Project (Festival Almanac Project) brings a permanent exhibition of the Aomori Nebuta festival to the expo, alongside collaborations with local festivals and traditional performing arts groups. Planned municipal events include the Izumisano Danjiri Festival. On the lawn plaza you can join sports activities, and stage performances and workshops with top athletes and sports associations run throughout the programme.
What's in Season, Month by Month
The horticultural displays shift as the expo progresses, so your visit's character depends on when you come.
- March: cherry blossoms — roughly 600 trees across 40 varieties
- Early summer: lilies and hydrangeas
- Summer: sunflowers
- Autumn: bellflowers
Food and agriculture form one of the programme's core strands, so expect the seasonal displays to be matched by what's on offer from the participating prefectures and companies.
Getting There and Getting Around
Yokohama is well served by the transport partners backing the expo. Keikyu is running transit advertising focused on Haneda Airport, Yokohama and the Miura Peninsula — useful if you're flying in. JR East Group has wrapped Shinkansen trains and a countdown board at Tokyo Station. JR Tokai is advertising across the Kansai and Tokai regions, including platform door ads at Nozomi Shinkansen stations. Tokyu Group is running special event trains, and JAL, a Gold Partner, has specially liveried aircraft, in-flight services and a dedicated website. JTB promotions — posters, brochures and digital signage — appear at 255 nationwide locations, and HIS, a Platinum Partner, runs campaigns via its website and social media.
With 192 days to choose from, the real decision is which season you want: blossom in March, lilies and hydrangeas in early summer, sunflowers at their peak, or bellflowers as the expo closes in late September. Pick your window, watch the National Days calendar for the countries you want to see, and start planning your route into Yokohama now.