Make the most of Japan’s spring!

The unique Japanese culture of enjoying a drinking party while taking in the cherry blossoms
From about the middle of March, news reports in each region of Japan announce the start of the local cherry blossom season by letting viewers know that the blossoms have opened. It's an indication of just how much everybody looks forward to this season. It is not only the fully open cherry blossoms that are admired but also the elegance of the scattered petals on the water's surface or the ground.
This activity of appreciating the various forms of the flowers is known as "cherry blossom viewing". Cherry blossom viewing began with the nobility about 1200 years ago, and later grew in popularity among the samurai and common people. It involves not just looking at the blossoms but often also enjoying a cup of sake rice wine and a boxed lunch. The famous warrior commander Hideyoshi Toyotomi is recorded as having gathered together as many as 1300 people in 1598 and held a lavish cherry blossom viewing party. Today, as in the past, cherry blossom viewing is one of the big events of spring.

February 27, 2025