The Blooming of Japan in Spring

Cherry Blossoms are not just beautiful flowering trees.  In Japan, they represent life and death and the changing of seasons (symbolically, not just literally).  This symbol of fresh starts and new chances brings in the season of spring after what is often felt like a long and dormant winter.  The blossoms remind us of the cycles of nature, and of life.  The Cherry Blossom season is a fabulous time to visit Japan and experience so many of the traditions that this country has to offer. 

An interesting fact is that whilst a single tree only stays in bloom for 7 to 14 days, the Cherry Blossom ‘season’ in Japan can last up to 4 months.  Usually the cherry blossom season is from March to May each year.  This comes about because different species of trees bloom at different times.  Additionally, this country is quite diverse in weather conditions; which is another factor that affects the blooming of the Cherry Blossom trees.  Some of the typical blooming begins as follows:

• Okinawa to the south (somewhat subtropical) mid January
• Kumamoto & Kagoshima – mid March
• Tokyo – end of March
• Sapporo & Hakodate (to the north) – early May. 

Another interesting fact, 1^st April is also the date of the beginning of Japan’s fiscal year.  Whilst we in Australia have 1^st July, North Amercia is 1^st October, and for Canadian Government fiscal year also starts on 1^st April.  So for Japan, the 1^st April date of their new fiscal year aligns with the Cherry Blossoms and their belief in new beginnings. 

As to the trees, there are many, many species.  The most common species in Japan is the ‘Somei-yoshino’ or also known as the Yoshino cherry.  It’s pure white, with a pale pink-tinged edging.  This is a hybrid blossom which was introduced around 1872 in Japan.  Because the flowers come out before the leaves, it looks like the tree is laden with snow, rather than flowers.  The warmer weather, beautiful flowers and new beginnings bring with them all a new vibrancy, optimism and enthusiasm to the people and streets of Japan. 

Throughout the entire country, begins a time of celebration.  There are festivals, picnics, parties, sake flows, tea ceremonies, paper lanterns.  The lanterns are made of straw, paper and wood.  They are usually boat-shaped and have a tea light candle in them, as they float on the water.  Sometimes they are even set ablaze outright.  These lanterns are called Shoryobune, which means boat for the spirits of the deceased.  There are whole festivals around these lanterns.   

There is one park, called Osaka Castle Park, which has more than 4,000 cherry trees.  The Sakura trees survive for centuries.  Century-old traditions about – not only from the Cherry Blossoms, but you can also view the old Japanese temples and shrines.  They are made of various wood materials (planks, straw, tree, bark etc) although little stone which is generally reserved for temple and pagoda foundations. 

Alongside all the blossoms and festivals, entertainment and activities abound.  You will particularly see traditional garb being worn, especially the Geisha girls.  The word geisha means literally ‘art person’ as the geisha generally sing, dance and play an instrument.  There is also flower arranging, tea ceremony, calligraphy and much more.  There are also Maiko, which are like Geisha, but generally the Maiko are younger than 20 years of age, they wear more colourful kimono and lack the skills of conversation from their more experienced geisha counterparts.  Think of the Maiko more like an apprentice Geisha; they are still learning.  There are also some physical differences between Geisha and Maiko.  The first is that the Maiko lips are only red on the bottom – not both lips.  Secondly, the wooden shoes are much higher as well as some other clothing differences.  The Geisha often wears a wig, whereas the Maiko has natural hair.  The other thing is that the Geisha’s face is entirely painted white; whereas the Maiko has some natural skin showing. 

Alongside the blossom season, comes also the seasonal cuisines.  For example, during spring you can try Ichigo Daifuku, which is strawberry mochi) as well as Sansai (Mountain Vegetables) and Takenoko (Bamboo Shoots).  Even Starbucks and 7-Eleven have special drinks themed around Cherry Blossoms. 

Other Things of Interest

If you aren’t already fascinated by Japan, here are some extra facts of interest:

• There is one vending machine per 24 people.  What is fascinating is that they dispense all sorts of things, not just softdrinks or chips (which they do also).  You can get anything from a t-shirt in a can, to icecream, umbrellas, underwear, ready to eat ramen, beer and sake (although alcohol is being restricted more).  There is an urban legend that you can even get used underwear, but as far as the legend goes, this isn’t really true … or is it? 
• Japanese melons can cost you over $200.  This makes this expensive fruit a notable gift.  Traditionally, samurai would offer tangerines or melons to their shogun as tokens of appreciation.
• The first geisha in Japan were men!  They were called taikomochi or houkan and were somewhat jesters of a sort. 
• Nearly half the zippers worldwide are Japanese-made.  Look at your zip, if you see YKK on it, this stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha.  This company was founded in 1934 in Tokyo and they make over 7 billion zips a year! 
• Since the 1970’s it’s become a tradition to get KFC for Christmas dinner.  Nearly 4 million Japanese queue for KFC every year at this time.  Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii, means “Kentucky for Christmas”. 
• Japan imports 80% of Jamaica’s coffee production annually.  Australia exports to Japan beef, gas, coal and iron ore, as well as a fair amount of seafood. 

How to Manage this Busy Time of Year

The Cherry Blossom season and everything else it brings is of course a very popular time for tourists.  Plus remember, this small country has over 126 million people living there already.  So there are naturally some things you should do in order to be prepared for your visit to Japan during this time:

• Plan your itinerary well and get a hold of the Japan Rail train schedules with that in mind.  Even if you’ve a train rail pass, you can (free I believe) book a seat in advance.    
• Include travel buffers into your trip times.  Whilst their transport system is highly punctual, a delay at some point could have you missing a train. 
• Book as many ticketed activities in advance as you can.
• Be flexible with your travel plans.
• Hit the tourist spots very early in the day.  In April, the sun rises at 5:15am or so; the earlier you can get out and about, the better.
• Book hotels in advance.  You need to book in advance as far as possible and be flexible with the dates and places you want to book a hotel for.
• Make as many dinner reservations as soon as possible – unless you want to line up for KFC. 

We should say, that at Luxury Women’s Tours, we take the work out of your travel plans.  We’ll make all the bookings and hotel plans, so you don’t need to worry about pre-planning your entire Japanese trip in advance; that’s what we do.  You simply get to pack a bag and enjoy the ride.  We select the best of the best, so you can simply have fun with other like-minded ladies.  If you’d like to know more about our upcoming Japan Cherry Blossoms Trip, please just reach out to us via our Contact us page. 

You can view our Japan Cherry Blossoms Tour HERE