The good, the bad and the ugly sides to Japan’s cherry blossom season
Even if you manage to get a hotel room, you’ll have to deal with crowds, a high pollen count and worse-for-wear trees
THE GOOD
It’s that time of year again in Japan. Blooming updates punctuate news bulletins, screensavers take on pastel pink tones and food products are repackaged in garish cherry-blossom hues.
The centuries-old tradition of hanami is almost upon us although, to be strictly accurate, the cherry-blossom-viewing season began a couple of months ago. Ueno Park, in Tokyo, might be the epicentre for media interest and petal-based parties, but trees in the southern prefecture of Okinawa flowered and fell back in mid-January.
Close attention is paid to the forecasts; from those early Okinawa blossoms through to mid-May, when trees in the highlands of Hokkaido reach full bloom. Families and friends gather in parks and gardens, having arranged for a group member to arrive beforehand, bag a spot and hold onto it until reinforcements turn up laden with food and drink, folding tables and mats. Some party-goers bring mobile karaoke machines, others smuggle alcohol in, despite park rules forbidding it. Blankets and warm clothes come in handy after dark, when the temperatures drop, but it’s worth staying on to see the trees illuminated with lanterns.