Cherry blossom season coming to a close in Kanto: Images of Japan

In the suburbs of Kanto over the weekend people headed out to enjoy glorious weather and hanami cherry-blossom viewing parties under what looked like the last of this season’s blossoms for the Tokyo area. 

At the tail end of the season an occasional strong breeze will send petals fluttering down to carpet the ground in white-pink color - kobore zakura (零れ桜), or “spilling sakura.” Strong gusts might cause a storm of petals to fly through the air - sakura fubuki (桜吹雪). Both are enchanting scenes even if they might be accompanied by a sense of melancholy at the prospect of the cherry blossom season coming to an end. 

All signs pointed to another early arrival of Japan’s somei yoshino cherry blossom season in 2024 - the winter had been a mild one for many parts of the country and there were days in late February and early March that could almost have been called balmy.

Some outlets had Tokyo forecast as the earliest bloomer on main island Japan with March 18 mentioned in February reports. But then the season seemed to get cold feet and the weather turned sour, damp, and dull.

Tokyo does, however, offer some opportunities for an early bask among cherry blossoms courtesy of the cold-resistant okame-zakura. In the capital’s central Chuo Ward, some of the Nihombashi district streets are lined with the early-blooming cherry trees, particularly around Shin-Nihombashi station and the Coredo Muromachi shopping facilities.

(Early-blooming okame-zakura in Tokyo's Nihombashi district, March 2024.)

The official call that Tokyo was in bloom eventually came on March 29 - five days later than average and 15 days later than 2023.

We stopped by the sample somei yoshino cherry tree in the grounds of Tokyo’s Yasukuni-jinja shrine the day before in anticipation that weather agency officials would make the call. We were left disappointed though and had to make do with television reporter Yuji Abe making an unofficial call of his own after having counted something just shy, it seems, of the requisite 5-6 flowers on the tree. 

“Kattei ni kaika happyo,” Abe said addressing television audiences. (“I’m announcing the bloom myself.”)

The sight of the sample cherry tree at Yasukuni on March 29 would have likely disappointed - it may have officially been in bloom, but its appearance would have been Spartan when compared to actually being in full bloom. 

(Cherry blossom at the Sacred Pond Garden in Yasukuni-jinja, March 2024.)

Early visitors though could have headed further into the shrine grounds to see the more full blossoms in the Shinchi Teien, or “Sacred Pond Garden.”

The blossom of the somei yoshino cherry trees hit its stride in Tokyo a few days later, reaching full bloom, or mankai (満開), around April 4. The first cherry blossom season post-corona travel restrictions, crowds at marquee spots in the capital like Ueno Park appeared Biblical, at least on our television screen. 

(Tunnel vision near Atago-jinja shrine in Tokyo's Minato Ward, April 2024.)

For all its celebrity and iconic appeal though, Japan’s cherry blossom is, well, as common as muck really. Quite often it isn’t necessary to deal with heavy crowds in order to be wowed by the season. A local park, shrine, riverbank or neighborhood street will often be more than capable of getting the job done.

(Cherry blossom arch in suburban Chiba Prefecture, April 2024.)

One of the more unique cherry blossom spots we visited this season was in the city of Chiba, near Tokyo. The city’s urban monorail system is recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest suspended monorail train system in the world at 15.2km.  

Just east of Chiba station a section of the monorail traces the course of a street and canal lined with cherry trees. From ground level it can appear as if the suspended train carriages are passing between the branches and the clusters of flowers.

(A train on the Chiba Urban Monorail passes over cherry trees in Chiba City, April 2024.)

The whole scene is a curious one - the contrast between the delicacy of the blossoms and the grinding mechanics of the monorail. The cherry trees also decorate a street which runs along the edge of a nightlife and red-light district.

How has your experience of the cherry blossom season been? Let us know in the comments.

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