Spring in Japan is associated with cherry blossoms. Since olden times, cherry blossoms have captivated the hearts of the Japanese people. The traditional custom of Hanami is to visit mountains and parks with cherry blossoms and hold sake-drinking parties beneath the cherry trees in full blossom. The greatest charm of sightseeing in Japan is the seasonal change, such as the cherry blossoms in the spring season.
Anyone travelling to Japan in the springtime is sure to experience one of the more exceptional natural events in the seasonal calendar. Hanami, or flower viewing, is the annual Japanese custom of enjoying the blooming foliage after the winter weather subsides. While Hanami specifically refers to the blooming of cherry blossoms, many plan events around the one to two week period where nature flourishes with color and fragrances.
Said to have begun in the late eighth century, the flower viewing tradition is widely believed to have started in the Nara Period. The seasonal event was used to welcome in the New Year?s harvest while marking the beginning of the rice planting season. In the Heian Period, Emperor Saga would welcome this time with celebratory feasts and parties under the Sakura trees in Kyoto’s Imperial Court. While originally limited to Japanese royalty and the elite upper class, Hanami spread to all citizens by the Edo Period in the early 1600’s. The custom still lives to this day as visitors from around the globe partake in this traditional event. Since then, the annual custom has drawn visitors to witness the beautiful seasonal changes while pinpointing and celebrating the beginning of the fiscal and scholastic year with friends and family. A typical Hanami usually consists of holding an outdoor party under cherry blossom trees during the day or night. Food, beer and sake are brought to a picnic as visitors bask in the cherry blossoms that fall from the tree. These parties last well into the night as the moon illuminates the pink blossoms.
While cherry blossoms bloom throughout the country, there are a few cities and regions famous for their Hanami festivals. The castle town of Hirosaki, which holds the Sakura-matsuri festival, is one notable Japanese city famous for its bountiful cherry blossoms that draw people from both near and far. Also, travel to the center of the Nara Prefecture to find Yoshino-Yama, a mountain with over 30,000 cherry trees that is considered to be the best viewing spot in all of Japan. Over 100 varieties of trees bloom at the Japan Mint tunnel, giving visitors the opportunity to distinguish between the various sizes and shapes of the flowers. Finally, if your trip leads you to Tokyo in the spring time, explore Ueno Park where 1,200 blossoming cherry trees burst to life. Don’t miss to take a stroll the museums, including the Tokyo National Museum, National Science Museum, and Japan’s first zoological garden.
In Tokyo Ueno-onshi-koen Park is particularly crowded in early April when people gather to enjoy the view of the evanescent cherry blossoms. Tokyo’s Ueno Park and Mt. Yoshino in Nara are famous spots for viewing cherry blossoms.
