The
Tohoku Earthquake, with its tragic ramifications, has dominated the thoughts and lives of all in Japan......over 27,000 people confirmed dead or missing! Understandably, the arrival of the festive cherry blossom season has been overshadowed.
Nature has prevailed though, as it always does, and begun creating canvasses of pink and white across the land. Blooming time is determined by geographical location.......the milder the climate the earlier the blossom opens! In tropical Okinawa, the blossoms begin in January and in, the far north island, Hokkaido, they bloom as late as May. Current weather conditions in each area, also affects the blossoming time. It is such a special time in Japan that, the Weather Bureau via nightly forecasts following the weather segment of news programs, gives updates of the approaching 'Cherry Blossom Front' as it moves northwards!!
The front signals the opening of the first blossoms (kaika) rather than the arrival of full bloom (mankai). Wherever and whenever they bloom, they signal another stage in the seasonal cycle....!! The
'cherry blossom season' in each area lasts about two weeks.....the first week when the buds are opening and then by the end of the second week when the blossoms are falling from the trees.
Cherry trees
(known as sakura) are part of the
Prunus family, the same family that plums, peaches and apricots are members of. So it's not only the cherry tree that blossoms.....white magnolia and plum tree blooms precede the cherries. With their natural beauty, they add colour to the very sombre tones of the city. Winter in Japan sees the trees shed their leaves and the grasses in the parks die off. The soil, like our skin, is dry and cracked. The greens only return when spring and summer return. Once spent, these less famous blooms make way for the much awaited 'Star of the Show',
CHERRY BLOSSOM!!! .............the national flower of Japan. Originally sakura was used to divine the year's harvest as well as announce the rice-planting season.
On a recent trip to Atami, at the top of the Izu Peninsula, we were treated to some early blossom.
Cycling around our stomping grounds in Yokohama, I snapped some shots of the plum trees and magnolias in their final days of bloom.
Walking around Minami Osawa, near Hachioji, we came across more magnolias in various stages of bloom. They are very beautiful!
As the blossoms fall to the footpaths and are lifted by the wind, it takes a great deal of patience for the many people employed to keep the streets clean. In the autumn, a multitude of people continually sweep the streets to remove falling leaves, now it's flowers they must sweep away.
'Hanami' is the centuries-old practice of picnicking under a blooming sakura
. In modern-day Japan, hanami mostly consists of having an outdoor party beneath the sakura during daytime or at night. Hanami at night is called
yozakura (literally meaning night sakura). Thousands of people fill the parks to hold feasts under the flowering trees. These parties often 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 year and so welcoming parties are often opened with hanami. The Japanese people take part in processional walks through the parks. Hanami is a time for contemplating and renewing spirits.
Many famous wood block prints, such as the one below, have cherry blossom themes.
But guess what??
We are still awaiting the arrival of the 'Cherry Blossom' season......so for the moment there are no pictures!!! I am on daily 'cherry blossom patrol' but to date nothing!
All I can say is....'Mat te-kudasai!!!'
