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Himeji in April
Great month: April is in the middle of the recommended season (March – May, October – November). Plan around: Cherry Blossom Peak: Prices and Crowds. Cherry blossom (hanami) can fall this month.
The season runs to the end of May, next month.
2 days in Himeji in April · from ₹20,315 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
Before you book April
Closures, crowds and rules at Himeji this month.
Worth knowing
Cherry Blossom Peak: Prices and Crowds
Late March to mid-April is the most expensive and crowded time of year: hotels cost up to two or three times their usual rate (Kyoto most of all) and sell out months ahead, and the famous parks and temples are packed. Book rooms four to six months out, and visit the big sights at opening time.
What’s on in April
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
Cherry blossom (hanami)
Cherry trees flower for about a week, from late March in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka to mid-April in the Alps towns and late April in Sendai; Okinawa's come in January and Hokkaido's in early May. Parks fill with picnics under the trees. It is the dearest and most crowded time of year: book hotels four to six months ahead, and expect Kyoto rooms at two or three times the usual price.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 2 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹20,315 for two
- Room a night₹5,450
- Food a day, each₹2,366
- Main sight entry, each₹1,510
Mid-range
₹40,960 for two
- Room a night₹10,290
- Food a day, each₹5,460
- Main sight entry, each₹1,510
Luxury
₹87,411 for two
- Room a night₹21,180
- Food a day, each₹12,740
- Main sight entry, each₹1,510
What April does to prices
- Late March to mid-April is the most expensive and crowded time of year: hotels cost up to two or three times their usual rate (Kyoto most of all) and sell out months ahead, and the famous parks and temples are packed.
- It is the dearest and most crowded time of year: book hotels four to six months ahead, and expect Kyoto rooms at two or three times the usual price.
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for Japan yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Osaka (KIX), 76 km away
Then: Train · 1h 6m (JR Special Rapid (Osaka–Himeji), or shinkansen from Shin-Osaka)
Flights from India: from 5 cities, one way from ₹24,000
Fly into Tokyo (HND), 470 km away
Then: Train · 3h 30m (Shinkansen (Nozomi), Tokyo–Himeji)
Flights from India: from 7 cities, one way from ₹22,000
Entry rules
E-visa before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹1,300
- Book an appointment at the Japan Visa Application Centre (VFS Global) for your area and apply for the single-entry tourist visa, no more than three months before you travel. Walk-ins ended in February 2026. The visa fee is ₹500, plus VFS's service charge of ₹800.
- Apply 3-4 weeks before you fly: processing takes at least 5 working days. The visa comes as an eVISA (an electronic notice), not a sticker; keep it on your phone and as a printout for the airline and immigration.
- Before you fly, fill in Visit Japan Web (vjw.digital.go.jp) for one immigration and customs QR code. It is optional; paper cards are handed out on the plane.
- At immigration, your fingerprints and photo are taken and you are given the stay the visa allows (up to 90 days).
Carry: Passport with at least two blank pages, valid for the whole stay; Visa application form with a 45 x 35 mm photo; Flight booking in and out of Japan; Day-by-day schedule of the stay with hotel bookings; Bank statements for the last 3-6 months and income-tax returns for the last 2-3 years (the VFS centre's checklist says which); Employees: a leave letter or NOC; self-employed: business registration; The eVISA notice, on your phone and printed.
Indians need a visa for Japan, but it is cheap: ₹500, unchanged when Japan raised its visa fees five-fold for most countries in July 2026. JESTA, Japan's planned online travel authorisation, is for visa-free nationalities and is not due before 2028.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in Japan in April
Also in season this month.
- Nagano (Jigokudani Snow Monkeys) · great month
- Beppu · great month
- Fukuoka · great month
- Hakone · great month
- Hiroshima & Miyajima · great month
- Kobe · great month
- Kumano Kodo (Hongu) · great month
- Kyoto · great month
Nearby in Kyoto, Osaka & Kansai:
Want this as a real plan?
Himeji in April, day by day, priced for your group.