It’s End of March — Where Are Japan’s Cherry Blossoms?

Everyone’s been waiting in Japan for the cherry blossoms to bloom. But thanks to the weather, sightseers may be waiting a little longer.

Pictures: : K@zuTa; metamorworks / PIXTA(ピクスタ)

By Jay Allen

Turn on the news in Japan this month and you’ll see one of two stories. One is the scandal around Dodgers baseball player Ohtani Shohei’s interpreter. (Don’t ask us — we don’t know nothin’ ’bout sportsball.) The other is reporters asking in near-panicked voices: where are the cherry blossoms already?!

Cherry blossom trees along the Matsu River in Toyama, Toyama Prefecture. (Picture: たこ / PIXTA(ピクスタ))

Is a picture of Japan really a picture of Japan if it doesn’t include some cherry blossoms (桜; sakura)? The flowers from Japan’s cherry trees are so iconic that they’ve become a de facto symbol of the country.

Cherry blossom viewing (花見; hanami) has been a national pastime since Japan’s Heian era. The country has several strains of cherry blossom trees that bloom at different times of the spring season. The most popular variety is the Somei-yoshino, a strain that gained popularity in the Meiji era as its trees only take two years to start blooming.