River of blossom

RIVER OF BLOSSOM A bird’s-eye view of Inokashira Park in Tokyo, Japan, reveals the waters of the pond running through it are pink with the petals of the spectacular cherry trees that line its banks. Families and friends take picnics to the park and sit beneath the trees to eat, drink, listen to music, and enjoy the beauty of the blossoms. Later, lanterns hung in the branches are lit, and festivities carry on into the night.

At the start of every year, the Japanese weather office monitors the temperature and conditions to try to predict when the cherry trees, called sakura, will bloom. The trees blossom first in the warmer south of Japan, and the “blossom front” spreads up the country, moving north as spring advances. The blossom forecasts are important because thousands of people celebrate flower-viewing parties, a Japanese tradition, known as hanami, that dates back to the 8th century. The trees will carry their blossoms for only a week or two, and people need to plan their festivities. In Japanese culture, the cherry tree’s short-lived bloom is often associated with the fragility of human life.