Cherry Blossom Festival || Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan

Описание: Japan is famous for its flowering cherry trees. These trees are much sought after around the world. Cherry blossom festivals are held in such diverse regions as Washington, Vancouver, Paris, Stockholm, and Spain’s Jerte Valley. Still, Japan remains the premier location in the world for viewing the cherry blossoms or attending a cherry blossom festival, especially when seeing Japan by train.


During the peak of the blooming season, the Japanese people and tourists alike attend festivals and engage in hanami, or picnics beneath the cherry trees.

Japanese cherry blossom symbolism
The cherry blossom, called the sakura, is steeped in tradition and meaning. It shares the title of Japan’s national flower, appears on Japanese coins, and is the subject of many Japanese folk songs, such as “Sakura, Sakura.” Japanese cherry blossom meaning involves Buddhist religious influence and can be considered a metaphor for the ephemerality, or brevity and mortality, of life, along with life’s beauty.

Cherry blossoms are also associated with clouds due to their fluffy, cloudlike appearance when in full bloom.

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.

Sakura on Meguro River
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The Meaning of Hanami
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.