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Phool

Next: around 22 Mar to 20 Apr 2027

Hanami

Cherry blossom viewing in Japan, as the bloom moves north through the country in spring.

Photo: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What happens

Hanami means flower viewing, and the flower meant is the cherry. Friends, families and whole offices spread a sheet under the trees to eat and drink, by day and under lanterns at night. The bloom lasts only a week or so in any one place. It starts in the warm south in late March, reaches Tokyo and Kyoto around the end of March or early April, and gets to Hokkaido in early May. Forecasters track its advance as the cherry blossom front. The short life of the blossom is part of its meaning.

The flowers

Cherry blossomSakura, viewed in parks, along rivers and in castle grounds.Prunus mumePlum blossom, which opens weeks earlier and was the first flower of hanami.

Also part of it, and being written: Prunus × yedoensis (Somei-yoshino, the pale variety that makes up most plantings.).

More flowers and customs of Hanami

Japanese mountain cherryPrunus jamasakura Tall wild cherry tree of Japan with spring blossoms and edible fruit 🇯🇵 Japan and 2 more · Wildflower
About this page

Original text by the Phool desk, written with AI assistance. Background: "Hanami" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from family to family and place to place. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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