Hanami 花見: Japan's Cherry Blossom Season

Japanese Cherry Blossoms

Cherry blossoms, also known as sakura in Japan, are the small, delicate pink flowers produced by cherry blossom trees. These flowers only bloom in the spring, and have a small lifespan of a about 2 to a few weeks after reaching full bloom. Japan is actally home to more tham 200 different kinds of cherry blossom.

Significance: Life, Death and Renewal

In Japanese culture, cherry blossom trees hold a great significance. They represent the fragility and beauty of life. Given their short lifespan and the fact that at the peak of their beauty they start to fall, cherry blossoms serve as a stark reminder that although life is beautiful in all its aspects it is also ephemeral and short.

During times of war-during the age of the samurai and World War II-a fallen cherry blossom or petal was believed to symbolize the end of a samurai's or solider's short life. Sakura are no longer embraced for military or self-destructive purposes; today, they're widely valued for philosophical and aesthetic reasons.

Sakura revered as a symbol of rebirth and signalled a time of renewal and optimism. "Believed to represent the mountain deities that transformed into the gods of rice paddies in Japanese folk religions, cherry blossom trees signified agricultural reproduction. With the blooming season coinciding with the beginning of the Japanese calendar year, they also bring hope and new dreams at a time when students start their first day of school and employees their first day of a new job."

Sakura in Japanese Cultural History

Sakura is present in different Japanese art forms:

• Japanese Art
  • Example: Gion Weeping Cherry (1868)
    

    FUN FACT: The Gion Weeping Cherry tree still stands to this day.

• Japanese Poetry
• Japanese Literature and Folklore

Hanami 花見

Hanami, which means "flower viewing" in Japanese, is the traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of cherry blossoms. It is synonymous with public picnics, friends, and families huddling down under the trees with food and drink.

Hanami is the perfect time to try seasonal sakura food, snacks and drinks.

For example:

• Sakura Onigiri
  
• Sakura Mochi
  
• Hanami Dango
  
• Sakura Latte and Frappuccino from Starbucks
  

Cherry Blossom Forecast 2021