2012 Tokyo Hanami Season Tour Part 1 « Real Estate Japan | Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya Properties For Rent & Sale

2012 Tokyo Hanami Season Tour Part 1

By REJ guest writer April 6th, 2012 Investing

It’s early April which means it is time to enjoy Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) in Tokyo. The cherry blossoms (or sakura as they are called in Japanese) start to bloom in the southern islands in March and hit Tokyo around the beginning of April which also coincides with the beginning of both the business and school year. What better way to start the “new year” than to celebrate the natural beauty of these pink blossoms. This year’s peak viewing time will likely start this weekend and run through next. So the timing couldn’t be better!

Join Real Estate Japan on a tour of the 2012 Tokyo Hanami Season. We will follow the blossoms on a tour of some of Tokyo’s best Hanami spots over the next week to 10 days and bring you a overview of local events across Tokyo.

What is Sakura?

Sakura are the cherry blossoms and flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry. Many of the varieties that have been cultivated for ornamental use do not produce fruit.

Brief History of Hanami

Hanami has been practiced for centuries as the custom is said to have started during the Nara Period (710–794) with the appreciation of ume blossoms (plum tree blossoms). It was during the Heian Period (794–1185), that the sakura came to attract more attention and hanami became synonymous with sakura. From then on, in some of the popular literation of the day such as “haiku”, “flowers” meant “sakura.”

Hanami was first used as a term analogous to cherry blossom viewing in the novel Tale of Genji in the Heian era. The term “hanami” – as it is used today – was born. From that point on the terms “hanami” and “flower party” were only used to describe cherry blossom viewing.

Today

Today, Japanese people still think of it as a retreat for contemplating and renewing their spirits. The tradition of hanami is still very much alive as they gather in great numbers wherever the flowering trees are found. Thousands of people fill parks or even the smallest private spots where even 1 blossoming tree can be found. They hold feasts under the flowering trees, and sometimes these parties go on until late at night. In more than half of Japan, the cherry blossoming period coincides with the beginning of the school and fiscal years, and so welcoming parties are often opened with hanami. Needless to say it is a quintessential Japanese experience and is worth experiencing at least once in a lifetime (if not many times).