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© 2023 AFPRecord early start again for Tokyo's cherry blossoms
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© 2023 AFP
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wolfshine
April hanami is honestly pretty overrated. Half the time, the weather is cloudy/rainy, and the trees are white, not pink. February hanami featuring Kawazu-zakura is way nicer, and those petals are actually pink. Even many plum blossoms are pinker than the cherry blossoms in April.
I honestly wish they would replace all the current somei-yoshinos with Kawazu-zakuras, but I get that the latter also blooms earlier and they want hanami to coincide with graduation/nyuugakushiki/young people starting new jobs, but jeez; most of the advertising around Japan's cherry blossom season is blatantly misleading.
Fredrik
I bet that picture is staged. Anyway, nothing wrong with white petals. The white petals reflect more light than pink petals, creating the illusion of a bright sunny winter day.
Steven Mccarthy
These are NOT cherry trees ….
Elvis is here
Give me 紅葉 any day.
Seigi
Beautiful sakura season that is unique in Japan. No other country can claim the same thing.
a taxi driver
It depends on how you feel, whether spring has come because the cherry blossoms have bloomed or because the cherry blossoms have bloomed, or whether spring has come because the cherry blossoms have bloomed.
No matter what the government says about cherry blossoms, or what someone else says about climate change, from the standpoint of the cherry trees, it's none of our business!
Zizi
Oh dear. Exactly what puts me off ever living in Japan again. We are unique etc etc
Arrived at Haneda a couple of hours ago. First time seeing the in-laws since before the pandemic.
Am surprised but at the same time, not surprised by the number of masks. In laws are wearing them at home!
Enjoy the cherry blossom season all
Bobo
Well I’ve got nice drop of bourbon to enjoy under trees with coke from the vending machine, could spend the whole bloom there if I didn’t have a job.
Fighto!
Happy Hanami, everyone! Early-mid March is going to be the new normal for hanami in Tokyo. Until it gets even earlier over time, that is.
Beautiful scenes wherever one looks!
quercetum
@Wolfshine
The Somei-yoshinoes are a bit overrated. Kawazu-cherries last literally one month under good conditions and can be in full bloom for two and half to three weeks as opposed to few days with the former. The response to this commonly brought up point in cherry discussions has been that it is for this very reason the somei-yoshino cherries are endeared. Next time you see the fluttering falling petals of a Somei-yoshino cherry blossom, think of the girl you liked back in your school days. Her feelings were mutual but you were too chicken to make a move. You can never go back now of course. The window of opportunity was there but short; and like the spent pale non-pink petals on the ground on a cold cloudy day in April...she's gone.
There is no match for the massive southern live oak like trunks of a Somei-yoshino cherry: whereas the Kawazu has just the standard flowering tree shape. I've seen 染井吉野 the size of centuries old English oaks in full bloom, 60 feet plus tall and as wide. The 河津桜 is merely a 20-30 foot tree at maturity.
quercetum
Have you ever seen the cherries in China? I thought the same until I visited China. It is incredible. The whole mountain side was pink and various shades of pink, but they were natural and not landscaped in. The difference is here in Japan, the cherries are planted and designed to inundate the viewer. It is like flowers planted in Disneyland versus flowers in a meadow in England.
Belrick
Every year its the same story! And those are NOT cherry blossoms!
wallace
Sure, other countries have cherry blossoms but no one does Hanami Sakura quite like the Japanese. An important symbol in the culture.
Blacklabel
Climate change climate change. Made sure to get that in there.
smithinjapan
wallace: "Sure, other countries have cherry blossoms but no one does Hanami Sakura quite like the Japanese. An important symbol in the culture."
Look, I love the cherry blossoms, here, there or anywhere, but as has been said this season tends to bring out just as much bad as good, and as for important symbols EVERYTHING here is a symbol of everything else, and people claim it to be unique. Come on, how many things here represent "the fleetingness of youth/life" and "longevity"? cherry blossoms, cicadas, the autumn leaves, to name a couple of the former, and turtles, cranes, and more for the latter.
Go out, have fun, preferably just look and keep walking, and please don't make a nuisance of yourself while doing so.
Blacklabel
oh wow, I do prefer. May I?
But the climate change activists get super mad if you just call it “weather”.
which it is. The weather is warmer than usual so we get to enjoy hanami. Just that simple.
Stephen Chin
Japan Today! Thanks ! for the beautiful pics and article of Sakura in Tokio blooming ten days earlier this year ! In Ottawa Canada's capital we too have cherry blossoms. And I shall make a trip there to enjoy them.
I believe our Sakura will bloom more ! than ten days this year because the world's Longest Skating Rink 4 miles long was closed because it became the world's Longest Swimming Pool.
wallace
Awa no Gaijin
You should have read my comment better. I didn't say Japanese cherry blossom and the season was better than in any other country. So quick to condemn without understanding.
*
I said "but no one does Hanami Sakura quite like the Japanese. An important symbol in the culture."
Hanami Sakura is the viewing of the cherry blossom and holding parties under the blossom, or reading poems.
In Japanese culture the Sakura is important.
*
I have traveled extensively and I know many countries with beautiful cherry blossoms including the UK.
In Japanese culture, there is a long history of cherry blossoms in paintings, novels, and poetry.
Mention several times in the Tale of Genji. When Genji journeys to the mountain to see a renowned sage, he's thrilled to get to see the mountain cherry blossoms.
*
Previously, the plum blossom was considered more important but in modern times cherry blossoms appear in the warmer spring.
Plum is also a very important part of Chinese art. A powerful Chinese symbol of renewal. The five petals represent the Five Blessings: old age, wealth, health, love of virtue, and natural death.
The Hanami Sakura this year is the first post covid restrictions.
We will have a picnic at Himeji Castle.
ClippetyClop
We could call it 'Stolen Weather' and you'd be 'super interested'.
justasking
Of course, who wouldn’t equate mask wearing to civil liberties?
Happy Day
It’s not climate change, it’s weather patterns. In California, homes and buildings are buried under record snowfall.
Strangerland
Wallace is correct. Other countries have beautiful cherry blossoms as well; I was out admiring them yesterday. But, nowhere does hanami like Japan does.
Mocheake
Nice, but way overrated. It's also not unique, and, believe it or not, there are people in other countries who can actually live without it! I think I saw this in, like, 25 other nations.
Strangerland
Yes it is. No country does hanami like Japan.
Strangerland
Probably because they have someone who feels the way about masks that you do, coming to their home.
Strangerland
Yeah, the climate isn't changing at all, California has always been buried under record snowfall, right? No change there. Right?
...right?
Desert Tortoise
Not unlike turning up the heat on a pot of water, a warmer climate causes more activity in the atmosphere and that leads to more violent storms. Warmer air can hold more moisture leading to greater precipitation, both rainfall and snow.
Rocket Lees
Perhaps they are trying to avoid hay fever? Pollen can be a problem both outdoors and indoors.
In any case. It's their home. If they want to wear masks indoors, then they should wear masks. Please don't let it ruin your visit first with your in-laws in more than three years.
William Bjornson
"Record early start again for Tokyo's cherry blossoms"
Given what the Greed-driven psychopaths are doing to our global climate, soon we'll be able to celebrate Oshogatsu with Ohanami...
enmaai
Another season for a good Kafunsho.
Gobshite
Not really a record then....
wolfshine
Yup. More than anything else, this is why Spring is Japan's absolute worst season.
I much prefer Fall, to be honest. Definitely Japan's most underrated season. Autumn leaves beat Somei-Yoshinos and it's not even close.
Zizi
Haha. Fair enough.
Actually though, it's my house. But they're welcome to it of course, as what's mine is theirs. They're family. They moved in when we left, but even my wife thinks it's odd about the masks. Shoganai I suppose!
Zizi
If they knew how I felt about masks they wouldn't be wearing them. They didn't wear them when they visited Hawaii last time.
I wore masks in Japan before leaving a few years back. I've never had covid. My in-laws have had covid, as have all my relatives in Japan. None of my relatives in Europe have had covid.
Funny how that works isn't it.