I’ve only one word for you, my friends: sakura! That means “cherry flower” in Japanese and it is one of the most popular national symbols. Come to Japan for the Cherry Blossom Festival 2016!
Every year, tourists and photographers, locals and lovers of beauty gather in Japan to witness the bloom of cherry trees, a fleeting moment of sheer beauty and color, when the parks fill with the discrete scent and explode with colors of pale pink and white. This natural festival starts around the end of March and can last as long as the end of April.
A favorite Japanese pastime around this time of year is “hanami”, which is a combination of picnic and admiring flowers. People gather in parks and open places with their baskets of goodies and their loved ones (family and friends) to enjoy a chat and a snack under the cherry blossom trees.
Japan is an outstanding universe, a world apart, full of wonder and hidden beauties. Amazing in its simplicity, complex in its austere style, the Japanese style is something to respect and admire up close.
April is perhaps the best time to visit and admire the “sakura” as well. Every year, there is a (semi)official calendar indicating where the cherry trees are in bloom and when exactly. So far, according to this year’s forecast, the flowers are already blooming in Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, Takamatsu and Hiroshima. Towards the end of the first week of April, the flowers are expected to blossom in Matsumoto, Fukushima, Fuji and Sendai, while the last places to see cherries in bloom this year are Kitakami, Hirosaki, Hakodate, Kakunodate and Sapporo. Here, cherry blossoms can be admired from mid-April until the end of the first week of May.
You’re still in time to plan your Japanese trip this month and book a Tokio car rental for your stay.
