cherry blossoms – Susan Spann, Adventure, Mystery, and Mountains

The First Sakura of 2022!

Susan Spann Blog March 23, 2022March 23, 2022cherry blossoms, Japan, sakura, sakura 2022, spring in Japan

I took these pictures of the first cherry blossoms of 2022 on the grounds of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, a Shintō shrine in Kamakura, last weekend.

Welcome, Spring . . . and Sakura-Flavored Everything

Susan Spann Blog March 14, 2021March 14, 20212021 cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, Japan, Japanese food, Murder is Everywhere, sakura, sakura food

Springtime in Japan means the return of the beloved sakura (cherry blossoms) — on the trees and on the plate. The blossoms are arriving about two weeks early this year. The trees in my Meguro neighborhood are already setting buds, and on my walk yesterday afternoon I spotted the first blossom of the year: When I stopped to take a picture, a woman walking next to me also stopped, looked up (to see what I was looking at) and startled. “Sakura!” she exclaimed. “Honto desu ne? Hayai desu ne.” (“Is it really true? They’re early, aren’t they?”) I agreed with

Hanami and Cherry Blossom Forecasts in Japan

Susan Spann Blog April 2, 2018April 1, 2018cherry blossoms, forecast, hanami, Japan, JNTO, sakura, Tokyo

Yesterday at Murder is Everywhere, I posted a blog about the traditional hanami – “flower viewing” – parties that happen at sakura (cherry blossom) season. (Photo credit: Xyrenth – used with permission.) Cherry blossoms are such an important part of Japanese culture that the Japanese National Tourism Organization (and other media outlets) publish an annual “sakura forecast” predicting the date when cherry blossoms will open across Japan.