Cherry blossom season officially begins in Tokyo

It is good to hear Nature at its best for a Change.

Excellent. Thought I was going to miss my last cherry blossoms this year but they are blooming just in time. I will ring in my 40th under an umbrella of pink next week!

Cherry blossoms yeah. Although I have to say the forecasts I saw not even a week ago were wrong and now it looks like they will be in full bloom next weekend.

Spring is the best season in Japan.

'Seen no blooms yet, but I heard the first uguisu song, today.

NIHON ikitai desuyo,

The one week a year that I miss Japan. Kudanshita and Aoyama Cemetery were always my fiance and my favorite places to view the cherry blossoms.

yep cant wait to squeeze under a tree with 50 other half drunk people frantically fanning those charcoal smoke boxes they call barbeques. give me a proper man sized gas barbeque with rotating spit, beside the swimming pool. or even a day at a clean white sand beach without any people or rubbish to accompany me and my family and no stress at finding a car park. Unfortunaley most Japanese can never experience these simple pleasures where they live, if they could they probably wouldnt get so excited about cherry blossom season.

I love it when they bloom on a Monday and have shed there flowers by Friday. LOL

Rain Showers to Welcome Sakura on Monday, 18th March, 2013 !

wtfjapanMar. 17, 2013 - 11:58AM JST

I love it when they bloom on a Monday and have shed there flowers by Friday. LOL

The same here.............

So what? This happens every year. This must be the time company newcomers fear the most as they have to sit on blue tarp a whole damn day to "claim" their comapnies' spot until all the senpai arrive.

@Knox - but but but the newcomers haven't started yet. Who do they get to do the deed?

sillygirl,

Why, last year's newbies, of course.

Knox: X-mas, Halloween, Easter, Thanksgiving and your birthday happen every year too! What is wrong celebrating spring under a wonderful cherry tree? Why being so nasty with this tradition? I am not an unconditional fan of Japan but I love this one.

Open Minded,

You are absolutely right. I couldn't care less about Easter, Halloween or Thanksgiving. We are not all Yanks, you know. There's nothing really wrong with sitting on blue tarp and drinking beer-type drinks. I just think it's overrated.

Nice and windy, perfect day for hanami.

Not all people sit under the trees and get drunk ( nothing wrong with that as far as I can see ). Some just go for a walk and enjoy the scene. If you live in a grey/brown Tokyo satellite town like me, any splash of colour is welcome.

Here is spring! Have fun and eNjOy the hanami!