Spring Anticipation

The snow is melting fast in Sapporo and people's focus has shifted even faster. Images and displays of sakura (Japanese cherry blossoms) are now everywhere you turn. Grocery stores feature sakura specials, tea shops are selling their seasonal sakura blends and the convenience stores have specially packaged junk food with blossoms on the packages.

The Japanese fascination with the cherry blossom is seated in the short duration of the blossoms (they bloom for only 2 weeks), representing the delicacy of nature and life. The geography of the country dictates that trees in the south begin blooming around now and the blooming continues in a wave that moves northward through the country, finally ending here in Hokkaido some time in May.

Blossom viewing is so culturally important that there is a specific word for the act of cherry-blossom-viewing, "o-hanami". In true Japanese style, even natural phenomena like tree blooming is carefully scheduled and regulated. The Japanese meterological society is tasked with the all important job of making predictions of precicely when the blossoms will emgere (these forecasts are called sakura zensen). Now, I don't mean that this agency makes a guess at whether the blossoms will be early or late in a given year, or make predictions for major centers only - they actually forecast the day that the first blossom will emerge in every city in Japan. They use some kind of complicated system using winter temeratures, precipitation and probably a touch of Japanese intuition. Their predictions are surprisingly accurate and are used by cities to schedule and plan festivals and for families to book holiday time to go to o-hanami. It is taken so seriously that a couple of years ago the meterological agency made an official apology to the entire country when their initial predictions were off by a couple of days because of what they called a "computer error".

The "blossom front" moves northward at a rate of up to 30 km per day in some areas. People in all major cities are employed to observe the blossom status in specially selected locations and on particular "indicator trees". Their job is to go to the tree in the morning and note the status of the tip of the branches so that the "blossom status" of that city can be accurately catalogued.

Although it will still be a while for us to wait for o-hanami in Sapporo, we will soon take a short vacation to see my mom and sister in Kyoto at the end of the month. Based on the 2008 sakura zensen (you can see the website here) we will be there very close to the time that they are forecasting the first blossoms (called kaika). We will definately be there too early to see the full blooming (called mankai), but we hope that we will be lucky enough to see a small show. Kyoto is said to have some of the most beautiful spots to see sakura in all of Japan.





We will be sure to get lots of photos of the sakura once it arrives here in Sapporo - until then, here are a couple of shots that I took with my keitai (cell phone - so Japanese... I know) of the displays in the shops. And to close, Haiku by Masuo Basho.

Temple bells die out.
The fragrant blossoms remain.
A perfect evening!