Cherry Blossom

Cherry blossom holds great meaning for Japanese.  It's not exaggeration to say that there is tremendous importance attached to the significance of the connection between rebirth of nature and that so many official, formal and cultural events take place at the same time.... such as school entrance ceremonies, the start and end of the fiscal period. etc.

April cherry blossom marks the end of the cold winter weather and the arrival of hope alongside bright, warm Spring days.  This is a new beginning.  This is rebirth.  This is the start of something beautiful.

Here I would like to introduce phrases quoted from an essay of David A. Sein which explains Hanami , cherry blossom viewing.

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Cherry blossom viewing hanami is one of the most popular events of the year in Japan.  When the cheery trees are in bloom, millions of people go to parks, (like in Ueno Park) riversides, ( like  Sumida River) and even cemeteries (like in Zoshigaya, Yanaka) to enjoy the beauty of these lovely blossoms.  They sit under the trees, eating, drinking, chatting, appreciating the beauty of the white and pink flowers.

Blossom viewing is a very old custom in Japan.  At first, it was done only by nobles, and they went to see plum trees instead of cherry blossoms.  After a while, cherry blossoms became more popular, and by the 1600s, blossom viewing had become popular among ordinary people as well.  

Cherry blossoms are important to Japanese people because they remind us that life is short, and that you should appreciate the wonderful things around you, since they may not last for very long.  

One thing that many foreigners wonder about is why the beautiful cherry trees have no cherries.  The reason is that they are bred for blossoms rather than fruit.  They actually do have very small cherries, but they're really tiny and aren't good to eat.