花見 - Cherry Blossoms in Historical and Modern day Japan

image of sakura trees during Hanami in April

Cherry blossom viewing, known as Hanami, is a cultural tradition in Japan from over a 1,000 years ago to today. The tradition has changed in some respects, like the Ume plum blossoms being the major flower originally, to today the Sakura cherry blossoms which are considered a symbol of the transience of life. During Hanami season, Japanese retailers and restaurants will offer limited-time Sakura-themed foods and drinks, and people will gather for picnics in the park. This is truly a unique time of the year in Japan which you can only experience for a short amount of time.

INDEX

The History of Cherry Blossoms and Hanami in Japan

The Japanese cherry blossom viewing tradition is known as 花見はなみ(hanami) in Japanese. This literally means looking at flowers.

花はな – flower
見み – looking (from the Japanese verb to look, 見る）

Japan has a lot of culturally significant flowers, but none are as iconic as the cherry blossom. You can see that from the name as the world flower, is almost synonymous with sakura or cherry blossoms.

https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/

I say almost, since even though sakura are the main Hanami flower, they are not the only one. In fact, Sakura were not even the first flower for Hanami.

梅 – Japanese Plum Blossoms

The Hanami tradition actually dates back to the Nara period (CE 710 to 794) and was originally a court event for nobles to appreciate 梅うめ (ume) or plum blossoms originally from China. Today, the variety of Japanese plum blossoms are also an important part of Japanese culture, cuisine, and of course hanami. 梅 also refers to the actual plum fruits and not just the blossoms. The sour fruit is not eaten as is, but instead used to make mainly 梅干うめぼし ( umeboshi ) or 梅酒うめしゅ ( umeshu ).

梅干し – Pickled plums
梅酒 – Plum Wine

桜 – Japanese Cherry Blossoms

During the Heian period (CE 794 to 1185) , cherry blossoms began to become to dominate ume for Hanami. The first recorded Hanami took place in 812 when Emperor Saga hosted a flower-viewing party featuring cherry blossoms. From there Hanami spread to the warrior class during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. Then during the Edo period, it became a popular event among the general public. Even though Sakura may have become the dominate flower, Ume are still viewed in different places and are just every bit as much of the Hanami tradition.

Sakura Symbolism and Cultural Importance

Sakura cherry blossoms are a widely seen tree throughout Japan every year for a short, usually only a week or two maybe. So, for most of the year the Sakura trees are dormant.

During the short blooming period falling sakura pedals have a distinct distinct look akin to falling snow. This phenomena is known as 桜吹雪さくらふぶき (sakura-fubuki) in Japanese. This literally translates to Cherry Blossom Blizzard.

桜 – Cherry Blossom
吹雪 – Blizzard

So, coupling the short blooming period, and the falling pedals, Sakura and Hanami are sometimes seen as a symbol of the transience of life.

Sakura Season in Japan

In Japan, the four season are often talked about as a representative part of Japanese aesthetics and culture. Each season in Japan has different plants that are in bloom, and foods that are eaten along with events, holidays and so forth.

During the Hanami season, Japanese retailers, restaurants and so on will have limited time Sakura themed foods, drinks, and of course snacks.

During the Hanami season, people will also plan picnics in the park and gather and eat with friends and family. You can see small cities of tarps that will show up in famous places like Yoyogi park every year where people gather to eat and drink.

Sakura in Popular Culture

The sakura cherry blossom season also lines up with the Japanese school year which ends at the end of March and starts in April. So often sakura trees blooming are seen in media like TV shows together with graduation. There are also several famous songs in Japan titled or about Sakura.

Not Just Sakura Cherry Blossoms!

Cherry blossoms are a representative symbol of hanami, with over 600 species that bloom at different times depending on the variety and location. But, there are other flowers that are part of the Hanami tradition. We will look at the three main ones.

桜さくら – Cherry Blossom (Sakura)
梅うめ – Plum Blossom (Ume)
桃もも – Peach Blossom (Momo)

The order these flowers bloom is plum, peach, and finally cherry blossom. Each of these look similar so it can be difficult to know which one you are seeing without some background information. Basically they are flowers which range from very pale pink or white to deep pink color. Their leaves though have more of a distinct shape too them.

Characteristics of Sakura

First we have the sakura flowers. But, even for the sakura flowers there are several types. The main type is called the 染井吉野そめいよしの ( somei yoshino ). These blooms from late March to early April, and only last about a week after full bloom to falling.

To distinguish these Cherry blossoms, they have heart-shaped petals with a split tip and a reddish-brown and their trunk has rough horizontal stripes resembling warts. After the flowers have finished blooming the leaves grow. The green stalks that flowers are attached to are long and bloom facing downwards. Cherry blossoms have many flowers spilling from the branches.

Characteristics of Ume

Next the Ume or Plum flowers have round oval-shaped petals. There trunk is dark and relatively rough. Just like the Sakura, ume leaves grow after the flowers start blooming. The flowering season is earlier than sakura cherry blossoms, and starts from late January to late April. Plum blossoms bloom directly on the branches with no stem.

Characteristics of Momo

Finally the Momo or Peach blossoms have pointed petals with oval-shaped leaves. They have a smooth trunk with a mottled pattern, and short green stems with two flowers facing different directions. These bloom from mid-March to late April. If flowers and leaves are seen at the same time, it is a peach tree.

When do Sakura Cherry Blossom Bloom in Japan?

Sakura, or cherry blossoms bloom at different times depending on their variety. First, there are a few terms you will want to know regarding when the Japanese Cherry Blossoms bloom in Japan.

開花日かいかび – Flowering Date
満開日まんかいび – Full Bloom Date
桜前線さくらぜんせん – Cherry Blossom Front

In Japan, the predicted bloom dates are separated by regions known as 桜前線さくらぜんせん (sakura-zensen). The bloom times can vary due to climate and terrain, as well as the specific variety of sakura used as the standard. You can check out a link below which shows the times and regions.

Release of 2023 Cherry Blossom Forecast

開花日 (kaikabi) is the first day that the sakura cherry blossoms begin blooming and 満開日 (mankaibi)is the first day they are in full bloom. The flowering dates or 開花日 range from the middle to end of March in most of Japan to the middle or end of April in north-eastern Japan and Hokkaido. Then about a week or so from then is the 満開日 or the date that they are first in full bloom.

Where to go to see Cherry Blossoms?

There are many famous cherry blossom spots which attract number of tourists and locals alike. Though there are several places all over the country you can go to see them, there are a few famous places if you don’t mind the crowds. These locations are just a few of many! So you will want to take a look yourself to find the best location for you if you are visiting Japan.

目黒川 – Meguro River

大阪城 – Osaka Castle

錦帯橋 – Kintai Bridge

弘前公園 – Hirosaki Park

白石川堤一目千本桜 – Hitome Senbonzakura

Not into Crowds?

You don’t need to go to the most famous spots in Japan. Most the popular places will have crowds and it will be more of a people viewing event instead of a flower viewing event. Some very crowded places may also have crowd control, and the city maybe directly people to continue to move making it hard to take pictures.

So, another option is to drive out of the big congested areas and try to find Sakura trees in other parts out in the country. The webpage is all in Japanese, but you can find different places by region below:

桜名所・お花見スポット

Planning your Trip to see Cherry Blossoms

So again if you do plan on visiting Japan for Cherry Blossom season, remember that you will need to plan accordingly. That will mean purchasing your plan tickets as early as you can. I explain more about planning your flight to Japan below if you are interested.

航空券 – Flights to Japan, Planning and Buying Tickets to Japan

Also, Japan offers several different types of accommodations.

Booking Accommodations in Japan

So, hopefully you will be ready for your trip to Japan to enjoy the Hanami season, or just have more knowledge about this integral part of the Japanese culture. If you are interested in learning more about the Japanese language or Japan, I have many other articles here at Japanese Universe.

花見 – Cherry Blossoms in Historical and Modern day Japan