Cherry Blossoms

a.k.a. Sakura

サクラ

Japanese symbol

The cherry blossom (桜, sakura) is Japan's unofficial national flower. It has been celebrated for many centuries and holds a very prominent position in Japanese culture. There are many dozens of different cherry tree varieties in Japan, most of which bloom for just a few days in spring. The seasonal spectacle is celebrated with hanami (cherry blossom viewing) parties under the trees.

Cherry Blossoms
Read more on Wikipedia

Time of flowering

Among the most popular and spectacular spring-flowering trees, flowering cherries with their frothy masses of pink or white blossoms usually signal the end of winter and reveal the first blush of spring.

Most cherry tree varieties bloom in spring over a season that usually lasts several weeks. However, changes in weather conditions may have an impact on the time of flowering, advancing or delaying the appearance of the beloved cherry blossoms by several weeks. Generally, the milder the climate, the earlier the blossoms open.

The cherry blossom season is relatively short. There may be 2 or 3 weeks between the opening of the first blossom and the shedding of the petals. Generally, the double flowers last longer than the single ones. Strong wind and rain can reduce the blooming season even shorter.

Since these pretty cherry blossoms do not last very long, you may want to select ornamental cherries with multi-season interest. Some flowering cherries display wonderful fall color, with their foliage warming up to brilliant shades of gold, red, or orange, before shedding to the ground and revealing the beauty of their gnarled trunks or the graceful outline of their branches.

Cherry Blossoms
Read more on Gardenia

The best cities to see cherry blossoms

  1. Tokyo, Japan
    Tokyo
  2. Paris, France
    Paris
  3. Washington, DC
    Washington DC
  4. Kyoto, Japan
    Kyoto
  5. Amsterdam, Netherlands
    Amsterdam
  6. NYC, New York
    NYC
  7. Vancouver & Victoria, British Columbia
    Vancouver
  8. Dublin, Ireland
    Dublin
  9. Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
    Massachusetts
  10. Portland, Oregon
    Portland
Read more on Flytographer

Hanami

Japan is known around the world for its cherry blossom festivals. Known as hanami in Japanese, cherry blossom festivals are an important custom and are held all over Japan during the spring. That said, do not expect to see the flowers wherever you go, the trees bloom at different times throughout Japan. If you're planning a trip to the country in the spring, here's what you need to know about the hanami tradition.

Hanami is the ancient tradition of going to enjoy the blooming of cherry blossoms (sakura) and sometimes plum blossoms (ume) in parks and throughout the countryside in Japan. The most popular kind of Japanese cherry tree, sakura, can be found all over the country. These trees are also called somei-yoshino trees or yedoensis in botanical circles.

Hanami literally means "viewing flowers", but it generally indicates cherry blossom viewing. It's said that the origin of hanami dates back more than a 1,000 years to when aristocrats enjoyed looking at beautiful cherry blossoms and wrote poems inspired by them.

Cherry blossom festival in Japan
Read more on Tripsavvy


This page was coded by Shakiba