What is the best order to catch the cherry blossoms in full bloom, in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto?

Blossom predictions for 2026 not yet available.

Here’s one prediction for 2025. There are many others with a quick Google- I didn’t compare, could be one source. Google for actual bloom dates and compare with predictions. https://www.japan-guide.com/sakura/

I, personally, avoid Sakura Season.

It can vary by a couple of weeks either way. So either you keep your schedule flexible or you just make your best guess. I was in Kanazawa April 4-8 this year and it was perfect timing. Another amazing day was Apr 14 at Himeji Castle (and I didn’t even go there for the cherry blossoms). And I didn’t look for the cherry blossoms in Tokyo, so can’t give experience with that.

Here are a couple of resources I used.
https://www.jwa.or.jp/english/service/seasonal-news-cherry-blossom-forecast/
https://tenki.jp/sakura/expectation/#
https://www.japan-guide.com/blog/sakura24/

There ARE places that will be crowded but I certainly wouldn’t avoid going at that time - at least until after you have experienced it. (On a second visit, try a different time.) It IS a piece of real Japanese culture. In my month in Japan, I found 3 terribly crowded places: the inside of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum; the street in front of Sensō-ji in Tokyo on a Saturday (Monday was fine); and Ninenzaka by Kiyomizu-dera.

Takayama (being in the mountains) will reach full bloom later than the major cities you listed. I will skip Osaka and add a daytrip from Kyoto to Nara.

Sakura season is very scenic though crowded. I was there in 2023 and the whole country was in party mode. It was fun. Book your hotels early.

You want to go in the opposite direction. It's warmest, with the earliest blooms, in the south, so start in Osaka, then Kyoto, then Tokyo. The northern prefectures and Hokkaido are last.

from 'Our World in Data': Day of the year with peak cherry tree blossom in Kyoto, Japan

The peak flowering of cherry trees in Kyoto, Japan, has been recorded since the ninth century. Yasuyuki Aono and colleagues from the Osaka Prefecture University collated this data from historical diaries and chronicles, indicating the dates on which cherry blossom viewing parties had been held or other observations of peak blossom.

The above link is from a BBC Travel article: Why 'best time to visit' no longer applies

Actually, even though Tokyo is further north, it usually sees blooms a few days before Kyoto (I would imagine Osaka too). It's usually warmer because of it's location near the bay, elevation, and the city itself traps heat. They are usually pretty close, within a few days or so, but I've always started in Tokyo and went south afterwards.