Cheery Blossom

富士山と桜の写真

Cherry Blossom Viewing
The custom of cherry blossom viewing is said to be started from the eighth century.  At first, people enjoyed plum tree viewing, not cherry.   Both were originally imported from China.  The custom was only for privileged people like government officials, aristcrats and the imperial  families.

Cherry blossoms also tell people the start of the warm season, meaning the start of the next harvest season.  Since rice has been an essential  food for Japanese people from ancient times, they welcomed cherry blossoms, thanked for gods of harvest and wished for good harvest of the year.  April, the advent of warm season has also the start of school year and business year for many companies.

It is said the  custom of cherry blossom viewing was spread to commoners in the eighteenth century by Yoshimune Tokugawa, one of the prominent Edo Shoguns.  At that time the government was facing financial difficulties and had to impose heavy tax on people.  To relieve their fatigue, stress and anxiety, the government opened some of their properties for people to promote and enjoy cherry blossom viewing.  The custom spread throughout the country.

Cherry blossom season lasts only about two weeks.  People feel the short period of blossoms like human lives.  People enjoy the short period of cherry blossoms by singing, dancing, writing poems, drinking and eating.

The blooming season for cherry trees depends on the kind of cherry trees and the climate conditions  of the area.  Some bloom very early, some bloom very late.   The season in Tokyo, usually starts from around the end of March to the beginning of April.   There are sample cherry trees which tell the start of the blooming near imperial palace.

At present, majority of cherry tree planted in Japan is a variety called “Somei Yoshino”.  Somei Yoshio is a hybrid created by a gardener in Tokyo in the mid nineteen century.  It grows fast and has bigger flowers, and its color is beautiful pale pink.  It’s a man-made clone, so if planted in the same region and condition, it bloom almost at the same time.  Somei Yoshino became very popular rapidly throughout Japan.  It’s the national flower and the flower of Metropolitan Tokyo.

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