The Japanese cherry blossom (jap. 桜 sakura) is one of the most important symbols of Japanese culture. It stands for beauty, departure and transience (mono no aware). The time of the cherry blossom marks a high point in the Japanese calendar and the beginning of spring.

Usually the flowers of the Yoshino cherry tree (Prunus × yedoensis) and other cherry species native to Japan are referred to. The cherry blossom is also the official plant of Tokyo. In Japan, cherry blossom begins in the middle or end of March in Kyūshū and then "migrates" northeast until it arrives in Hokkaidō around the beginning of May. During this time, the weather forecast also announces the "cherry blossom front" (桜前線 sakura censen). Spring immerses Japan in a pink and white sea of cherry blossoms (almost half of all deciduous trees in Japanese cities are cherry trees), which is why the time of cherry blossom is also a preferred holiday and travel season in Japan.

"Cherry Blossom Front" (Sakura Zensen) 2007, published by Japan Meteorological Agency During the ten days or so when the cherries are in bloom in their own region, almost all the people of Japan celebrate a Hanami with friends, colleagues or family in a park or other place that has been designated for this purpose, which takes on a folk festival-like character.

O-Bentō and often plenty of beer or sake and a mat (large blue plastic tarpaulins are typical) to sit on are among the utensils used to gather around and under cherry trees in town and in the country. Especially among colleagues and students the evening Hanami after work is very popular. In some parks the cherry trees (夜桜 yozakura) are illuminated at night. Just as the cherry blossom heralds the warm part of the year, so to speak, it ends with the red colouring of the autumn leaves (紅葉 kōyō).

The cherry blossom is a symbol of female beauty in Japan. It is often read that the cherry blossom was a symbol of transience for the samurai, but in this case there is a confusion with the tsubaki (camellia). According to the 2014 report of the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management, 522,353 cherry blossoms are planted as roadside trees in Japan. This is the second largest number of roadside trees. (from Wikipedia)

These pictures were not taken in Japan, but in my home town Stäfa, Switzerland, in a very special time during the corona crisis at easter 2020…

Photos taken by Roland Steffen with a medium format camera Fujifilm GFX50R, GF23mm f/4.0, GF110mm f/2.0. Edited in Capture One 20.