お花見 O-Hanami: Viewing Japan's Favourite Flower

お花見O-hanami: viewing Japan’s favourite flower One of the most popular times for Australian tourists to visit Japan is during the cherry blossom season. This glorious spring flower is synonymous with Japan. Ask most people to name Japan’s national flower and they would say the cherry. But in fact, Japan has no official flower in the same way that the golden wattle is Australia’s. Perhaps this is because the cherry’s status as Japan’s ‘national’ flower doesn’t need to be declared. For centuries, the Japanese affection for this briefly flowering tree has been very clear to see. Today o-hanami is one most anticipated spring pastimes.

Say ‘flower viewing’ and there is no need to specify what blossoms, with the wherewithal to do so, could enjoy a type of plant you’re going out to look at. O-hanami is long o-hanami tour of Japan by following the cherry simply the character for flower 花 (hana) followed by the blossoms from the south to the north of the archipelago. one for look or see 見 (mi), but On the southernmost of Japan’s there is no doubt in anyone’s mind four main islands, Kyushu, the what the flower is—the cherry flowers generally open around blossom or sakura. the 22nd of March, and in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido O-hanami has a long history. in the north, it is as late as the It began in the Heian Period (794- end of April or start of May. (Any 1185), when members of the cherries in Okinawa will have aristocracy held gatherings to flowered in January.) appreciate the beauty of new spring flowers, especially of cherry Early and late flowering blossoms. These people wrote cherries are among the poems inspired by the flowers. The many types of cherry trees custom of flower viewing itself A confectioner captures the beauty of which have been featured in literature and art. the cherry—a bud about to blossom developed especially for and a spray of open blooms. During the Edo Period (1600- the beauty of their flowers. There are said to be 1867), common people also began to enjoy o-hanami. around 300 varieties under cultivation in Japan. There are Many Edo Period ukiyoe woodblock prints depict people also exuberant doubles (yaezakura) and the ever so taking part in o-hanami. elegant weeping cherries (shidarezakura). However, the Today’s o-hanami gatherings rarely feature poetry. The single-layered bloom with five petals, each with a small modern cherry-blossom viewing parties are best described v-shaped indent at its tip, is the quintessential cherry as picnics under the flower. This is the trees by groups of flower that appears f r i e n d s a n d as a design motif on co- workers or everything from

families such as the daily crockery to photo [far right] which expensive kimonos shows people enjoying and is instantly o-hanami in Ueno recognised. Park, central Tokyo.

© Y. Nishi©Y. JNTO / © There are many Getting a good spot places famous for for the picnic, during their cherries and the day or the Japan National evening, requires a Tourist Organisation bit of luck or (JNTO) has a good determination. It is nationwide list. not uncommon for Perhaps one of the one person to be nicest ways to enjoy sent ahead with a © JNTO © Y. Shimizu / © JNTO cherry blossoms is groundsheet to People enjoying late-blooming cherries and swathes of rape flowers along a river bank to be going about reserve a spot. in Shizuoka. Rape (canola) is normally associated with the countryside, but the your daily life in Obviously the goal is combination of cherry and rape flowers can even be found in central Tokyo as shown Japan, to turn a here not far from the national parliament building, the Diet. to enjoy the blossoms corner and see a at their best, and weather forecasts give predictions based single cherry tree in full bloom, growing in its patch of the on past years and report as the current season busy urban environment, but redolent of spring and new progresses (the 2015 season seems to be two to three beginnings. days earlier than average). Real fans of cherry JNTO’s cherry blossom page: www.jnto.go.jp/sakura/eng/index.php

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