Cherry Blossoms

Cherry blossoms, known as sakura (櫻- さくら) in Japanese are very popular flowers. They are not, however, Japan’s national flower. Many people I’ve talked to think that Japan’s national flower is the cherry blossom, but it’s not. It’s the chrysanthemum.

I asked people I knew what they thought of Japan, or what they thought of when they heard the word Japan. Whenever people think of Japan, you might think of Mt. Fuji or traditional Japanese temples, or sushi, but lots of people, upon a few minutes of recollection, say that cherry blossoms come to mind. Five of the around seventeen people I’ve asked said cherry blossoms came to mind first. None of the people I talked to knew very much about Japanese culture.

Cherry blossoms are very abundant in Japan. The can be found in many places in Japan. Cherry blossoms are found very often in parks and recreational areas. They are considered very important to Japanese culture. There’s even a holiday centered around cherry blossoms, called Hanami.

Cherry blossoms can also be found in America. In Washington D.C., many cherry blossom trees are found along the Reflecting Pool. In fact, the view is considered to be so beautiful that it’s famous for the cherry blossoms there.

Below is a picture of the Chureito pagoda (忠霊塔) to the right of the photograph. It’s famous for its amazing view of Mount Fuji and the cherry blossoms blooming around the bottom of the pagoda.

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Cherry blossoms are very pretty up close. Depending on the breed of cherry blossom, they can be different colors. Shown below are pink cherry blossoms, which is the most popular type. These are known for their beauty. Before these cherry blossoms bloom, the buds are a dark pink, almost red. As the flower opens and blooms it becomes lighter. Because cherry blossoms all bloom at different rates on the tree, you can find cherry blossoms at many stages of blooming on the same branch. This creates a gorgeous array of colors. Another type of cherry blossom has white flowers. These have light pink buds (similar to the color of the flower of the pink ones) and their blooms fade to white. Sometimes you can even find a cherry blossom tree with darker blooms and buds. I only saw one in Japan, but in my opinion these are the most beautiful.


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