The informal national flower and inherent symbol of Japan, the sakura. These delicate pink blooms are representative of the transient nature of life and its fleeting impermanence
(Photo credit: Ness Murby)
Introducing the Sakura
“Sakura” is the name given to a specific type of flower found on cherry blossom trees. These trees do not bear fruit, instead the sakura grandly presents a canopy of pink flowers.
Cherry blossom holds a special place in Japanese culture dating back centuries. The informal national flower and inherent symbol of Japan, the Sakura. These delicate pink blooms are representative of the transient nature of life and its fleeting impermanence.
(Photo credit: Trevor Paxton)
picture-perfect Hanami picnics
”Hanami“, flower viewing, is a much anticipated and important pastime in Japan. The culture of Hanami dates back to the Nara period (early 700s), however, the celebratory aspect began in the following centuries.
People will spend a whole year seeking out the perfect spot, coveting the most beautiful blooms to sit beneath and picnic for hours.
Taken most seriously, companies will send out junior employees hours in advance, if not at dawn, to reserve and set up a chosen Hanami picnic location. There are even picnic-spot-reserving services for hire.
advance of the cherry blossoms (Sakura)
The arrival of the cherry blossom is of deep importance to Japanese life. Every year the blossom forecast is announced by the Japanese Meteorological Society. ”Sakura Zensen” is the term for the advance of the cherry blossoms, or more literally “cherry blossom front”, while “Sakura Season” refers to when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. From the end of March until early May the trees bloom: a wave of elegant splendour travels across Japan from Kyushu to Hokkaido (and everywhere between). Magnified by brevity, each sakura blooms for just a week or so. Chasing the sakura from one end of Japan to the other it is a well traversed pilgrimage, the blossom a visual reminder of “how beautiful, precious but precarious life is.”
“Light as feathers, as fleeting as Zephyr, one moment they breathed pink, the next they faded. Cherry blossoms were as much an inspiration for beautiful verse as they were a reminder of life’s fickleness, she thought.”
Alice Poon
CHERRY BLOSSOM (SAKURA) CULTURE carries far BEYOND JAPAN
(photo credit: Ness Murby)
Each year the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (VCBF) association runs a series of “community events inspired by the cherry tree“. The event line-up includes activities such as the annual Haiku invitational and viewing guides for a variety of Vancouver neighbourhoods. The VCBF Provides interactive “neighbourhood maps” displaying the location and blooming dates of more than 3,000 ornamental cherry trees, over 50 different cultivars, in and around metro Vancouver. They even go so far as to offer a “blooming now” page that, once sakura season has begun, is kept updated with photos and descriptions of each of the trees — this way you’ll never miss a bloom.
TougherThan’s cofounders previously lived in Tokyo (Japan), but are presently based in Vancouver (Canada). With this in mind it seemed only fitting to share the cherry blossom culture of this neighbourhood.