Cherry Blossoms in Japan

Published on April 20, 2007 By avonhill In Fun destinations

Cherry Blossom season in Japan is a pretty big event. It happens in Spring, usually around the start to mid April (in Tokyo) and goes for a paltry one to two weeks. The cherry blossoms are really short lived. The Japanese have a picnic during this time, called 'hanami' (literally flower watching). The main foods are sushi and sake (Japanese rice wine). This party became popular for the masses during the Edo period (1603-1867), whereas before, it was the preserve of the nobility. The cherry blossoms have now become a symbol of Japan, in some beautiful ways - as well as some of the more morbid. The artwork that has cherry blossom paintings in it is amazing, and hanami is a great time for relaxing and chilling out. The cherry blossom was also the symbol of the Kamikaze pilots in World War 2 - the allusion being that the Kamikaze pilots would be as short lived as the cherry blossoms, but die for a beautiful cause, ie the emperor. The last ceremony for Kamikaze pilots was a drink of sake often with cherry blossom leaves in it (season permitting). Anyway for Cherry Blossom season this year I went to Odawara Castle, one of the few castles in the Kanto region. It is a pretty major place for Cherry Blossoms.

Anyway this is Odawara Castle. The next photo is of the biggest blossom tree there.

But the best areas are the parks outside the castles immediate area.

And its all over for the year!

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