Beautiful and delicate, sakura is what the Japanese call cherry blossoms! These dainty flowers range from white to deep elegant pink to a slight red. When they float in the breeze they create an exquisite atmosphere!
Woven into Japan’s history, culture, and identity, sakura blossoms are more than just simple flowers. Get ready, because we’re going to unfold the magic behind the sakura, petal by petal!
What Is Sakura?
Well, that’s an easy question to answer! Sakura is the flower of ornamental cherry trees in Japan. Sometimes, sakura can also refer to the trees themselves. Commonly found in East Asia, sakura blossoms have a gentle vanilla-like fragrance. The sakura is actually considered the national flower of Japan!
Is Sakura a Flower or a Tree?
In hiragana, sakura is written either as さくら. The word could actually refer to either the cherry flower or the tree in Japanese. However, when you say the word sakura, people instantly think of the flower itself with its pink, dainty petals.
How to Pronounce Sakura
It’s not very hard to pronounce sakura. All you need to do is roll out your tongue and start with SAH, then KOO, then RAH. Say it all together, and you get sakura! Try saying it again and again till you can master it.
What Does Sakura Mean in Japanese?
When you write sakura in Japanese kanji, it is written as 桜. The character on the left side 木 (ki) means tree. On the right, the character 女 stands for woman while the three brush strokes on top of it mean necklace. Put together, the kanji for sakura literally means “tree necklace woman” - that’s because cherry blossoms have five petals that seem to be forming a beautiful necklace right around the flower!
Besides the direct kanji reading, the term sakura also comes from the word saku 咲 which means to bloom or to smile or laugh. Sakura blossoms are the symbol of the start of spring, a time when people get together to smile and laugh as the season brings back life to land after the cold of winter!
Why Are Sakura Trees Pink?
Normally, sakura trees have green foliage. They only seem to be drowned in pink when their flowers start blooming during sakura season. During the height of their blooming period, sakura trees are almost entirely covered in dainty pink flowers, making it seem like the trees are pink all over.
What Is the Real Color of Sakura?
While we mostly associate sakura flowers with pale, pastel pink, these delicate blossoms actually range from white to pink to red. Some can even be rare yellow or green! The color of the sakura blossom depends on the cherry tree’s variety or cultivar.
When Is Sakura Season in Japan?
Since there are many different varieties of cherry blossoms in Japan, there are many sakura blooming seasons. However, the most common cherry tree, the Somei-yoshino, hits its peak blooming period in Tokyo from the end of March to the beginning of April! These trees mark the beginning of spring in the city.
When Do Sakura Trees Bloom in Japan?
You don’t have to worry if you miss the peak sakura season in Japan! As we mentioned earlier, there are different cherry tree cultivars and they bloom at different times. The key to catching other sakura seasons in Japan is timing. You have to travel to the right location at the right time to find them!
If you go up further north in Japan, you can find the sakura season happening a bit later in the year. In Tohuko, cherry blossoms begin forming from mid-April to May. Head up to Hokkaido and you can see sakura trees blooming at the end of April. The best place to see sakura blossoms there is the Matsujmae-jo castle. The park surrounding the castle grounds has over 10,000 cherry trees of different varieties with different flowering seasons. In Matsujimae-jo you can see sakura trees blooming for nearly a month!
You can also head south in Japan to see sakura blossoms. In the southern islands of Okinawa, you can find the Kanhi Zakura variety of ornamental cherry trees. They bloom from mid-January to February! Head over to the Kawazu region of the Izu Peninsula to see another cherry tree variety, the Kawazu-zakura, begin blooming from late February to early March. You can also head to Sakurayama Park in the Gunma Prefecture in Japan. It mostly has the Fuyu Zakura variety of sakura trees and they bloom from mid-October to November.
Where Can You Find Sakura Trees in Japan?
In Japan, sakura trees are often planted along riversides or the moats of castles. They usually form a tunnel of beautiful pink that reflects off the water. Sakura trees are also planted around parks and schools. That’s why you can find a lot of dramatic sakura sequences in anime series. They’re an integral part of life in Japan!
Are Sakura Only in Japan?
Oh no! While sakura has become synonymous with Japan, cherry trees can be found in many other places outside of the land of the rising sun. Honestly, cherry trees can grow in any place with a temperate climate. The only difference is the cultivar of sakura that grows in certain locations.
You see, there are two sakura cultivars planted for their flowers. The Yoshino cultivar is primarily planted in Asian countries like in Myanmar, Taiwan, Bangkok, China, Vietnam, South Korea, and Singapore. The second cultivar, the Kanzan, can be typically found in Western countries like the US, Canada, Spain, Netherlands, France, and more.
Sakura Capital of the World
While the sakura is so intricately tied to Japanese culture and history, Japan actually isn't the sakura capital of the world. The title actually belongs to Macon, Georgia in the USA! Japan sent over cherry blossoms to the city as an act of friendship and goodwill. Now, they have over 300,000 cherry trees which they celebrate every year during the International Cherry Blossom Festival!
The festival is pretty fun! The city hosts musical performances, puppy contests, parades, and beauty pageants. Residents of Georgia even dye their dogs pink like the city's sakura-colored mascot, Petals! It's a pretty big event for Macon.
Hanami: The Sakura Tradition
Everyone knows that the sakura flower has long been ingrained in the identity of Japan. It plays a significant part in Japanese culture. In Japan, people celebrate the coming of the sakura season by participating in hanami. Translating to “flower watching” in English, hanami is a traditional Japanese custom where people have outdoor parties either at day or night (when it’s at night it's called yokuzura) to look at sakura blossoms.
During these parties, people bring food and get together underneath sakura trees to appreciate the fleeting beauty of life. It’s a special kind of picnic where the Japanese bring cooked meals, snacks, sweets, and sometimes alcohol. Sometimes offices and schools hold welcome parties during hanami so people get a chance to bond and form new friends! If you’d like to learn more about the Japanese tradition of flower-viewing, we deep dive into the flowery tradition in our blog about Hanami!
Sakura Matsuri
Besides Hanami, the Japanese also organize Sakura Matsuri (Sakura Festivals) during the peak of sakura season. These festivals feature delicious festival food, drinks, market stalls, and music events. Some of the most popular Sakura Matsuri are the Hirosaki Sakura Festival, the Ueno Sakura Festival, and the Meguro River Sakura Festival.
Sakura and the Philosophy of Wasabi Sabi
Of course, sakura flowers go beyond the tradition of hanami. The delicate sakura blossom is the embodiment of the wasabi-sabi, the Japanese philosophy of impermanence. Wasabi sabi is the appreciation of ephemeral beauty that is doomed to disappear from the world. It is a Buddhist philosophy that’s being followed to this day!
Appreciating the sakura is one of the best examples of wasabi sabi because these blossoms don’t last very long. They fall off cherry trees so easily, floating away in the breeze. Besides being a symbol of impermanence, sakura blossoms also played a large part in creating the wasabi sabi! These flowers are part of the story of Sen no Rikyu, the sixteenth-century Zen monk who established the theory of the tea ceremony.
In the legend, a young Rikyu tried to learn the codes of the ancestral tea ceremony by finding the tea master Takeeno Joo. As a test, he was asked by the master to take care of the garden. Rikyu tried to clean it to perfection, only to shake a cherry tree before presenting his work to his master. This touch of imperfection brought beauty to Rikyu’s work! This beautiful imperfection became one of the bases for wasabi sabi.
The Shifting Symbolism of Sakura
Taking on the meaning of beauty and impermanence, sakura flowers have become a cultural symbol in Japan, appearing in paintings, music, plays, and literature. They even became a representation of the Japanese warrior! According to historical texts, fallen cherry blossoms or petals symbolized the end of a samurai’s short but colorful life.
That’s not all! Sakura blossoms also became an important symbol of the warrior during World War II. Back then, Kamikaze pilots would mark their planes with a sakura flower right before they went on their suicide missions. Pilots believed that they marked their deaths “like beautiful falling cherry petals for the emperor.”
Sakura in Japanese Folklore
Besides its ephemeral meaning in philosophy, sakura season also had a significant meaning in Japanese folklore. Sakura flowers were used to divine that year’s harvest as well as announce the season for planting rice. You see, Japanese folk people believed that sakura blossoms were dwelling places for mountain deities that transformed into the gods of the rice paddies.
According to the folk stories, the word “sa” in sakura refers to a rice paddy god. Meanwhile, “kura” was meant as a seat for the god. So, to ensure a bountiful harvest, people would travel to the mountains to worship the gods sitting in the sakura blossoms during the spring.
Sacred Sakura
Trees play a big role in the Shinto religion. According to Shinto folktales, Kami (Japanese spirits) inhabit the boughs of kodama, old and beautiful trees. You can recognize these sacred trees in Japan because they’re encircled by shimenawa - large twisted ropes made of rice straw that mark the spaces of the gods.
Several of these sacred trees are sakura trees with supernatural stories. Some are said to bloom on particular spiritual anniversaries outside of spring. Others are said to actually possess souls!
Pray for Love at the Sakura Jingu
Did you know that you can actually pray for love at the Sakura Jingu in Tokyo? This cozy Shinto shrine has two enmusubi sakura trees. Enmusubi roughly translates to the binding of fates, and shrines with enmusubi spots are visited by people who wish for happy relationships. In the Sakura Jingu shrine, you can tie pink “hanaobi” ribbons to the branches of the enmusubi sakura tree to help seal the fate of your relationship.
The Legendary Sakura Trees
While all sakura trees are special, some of the ones in this list have supernatural stories that surround them. Others grow in very special circumstances, while others yet are some of the most visited trees in Japan. Let’s learn about Japan’s legendary sakura trees!
Uba-zakura Cherry Tree
Also known as the Milk Nurse Cherry Tree, this sakura tree of legend is said to possess the soul of a woman. According to the legend, the Uba-zakura blooms on the death anniversary of a wet nurse who had given her life to save the child she was caring for. The tree carries her soul so she can live on in this world!
Wakegori Cherry Tree
This tree is said to possess the spirit of a lonely samurai from Wakegori. After outliving his children and family, this samurai could only find comfort in an ancient cherry tree that had been in his garden for generations. However, the tree too, died, and the samurai became lonelier than ever. On January 16, the samurai committed hara-kiri (Japanese ritual suicide). His spirit then entered the dead sakura tree and now it blooms every January 16.
Ishiwari-zakura Cherry Tree
More than 400 years in age, this revered tree in Morioka, Japan is also known as the Stone-Splitting Cherry Tree. There isn’t any supernatural story behind the Ishiwari-zakura, however, the tree is considered a legend because of how it grows. This sakura tree took root in a small crack in a boulder. It grew so large that actually split the boulder in half! The Japanese people who visit the tree believe that its beauty and power are what broke the stone.
Miharu Takizakura Cherry Tree
Located in Miharu, a town in Fukushima, Japan, this tree is known as the “waterfall cherry tree.” Standing over 12 meters tall with branches spreading 20 meters from east to west and 18 meters north to south, the Miharu Takizakura cherry tree looks like a beautiful cascading waterfall! This tree is estimated to be more than 1000 years old.
Usuzumi Zakura
Also known as the pale-gray cherry tree, this sakura tree is said to have been planted by Emperor Keita, the 26th Emperor of Japan. More than 1500 years old, it stands in the Neodani Valley in the Gifu Prefecture. Since it’s one of Japan’s oldest sakura trees, you can see wooden poles propping up many of its branches. It’s called the pale-gray cherry tree since its blossoms start out pink, become white during their peak, and then turn pale-gray right before they fall off the branches!
Start a Sakura Merch Collection!
The sweet sakura party doesn’t end with sakura-flavored treats and goodies. Japanese people love filling up their space with sakura-themed items to celebrate the coming of spring. Not only does it add color to their space, but it helps add a youthful glow to everything. That’s why a lot of different companies have their own selection of sakura goodies for people to enjoy!
Sanrio has multiple sakura collections that showcase Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, Pochacco, and more all decked out for the season. You can fill up your room with sakura-themed plushies, badges, and stationery thanks to Sanrio! Not to be left out, San-X also has various sakura-themed goodies like sakura Sumikko Gurashi plushies, sakura Rilakkuma plushies, and more.
Are you interested in getting the cutest merch for spring? Check out KawaiiBox! The #1 monthly subscription box that delivers sakura-themed goodies like kawaii plushies and cute stationery directly from Tokyo to your door!
Can You Eat Sakura?
Sakura flowers are actually toxic if eaten raw. But once they’re cured using a pickling process called shio-zake, they can be used in many different kinds of food. That includes wagashi (traditional Japanese desserts) like sakura mochi, sakura manju, sakura yokan, and sakura anmitsu. During sakura season you can also find tasty sakura meals like sakura soba (cold noodles), sakura onigiri, sakura sake, and even sakura tea.
Fast-food restaurants also create their own sakura-themed menus to celebrate the season. Every year McDonald's comes up with unique sakura-inspired dishes like sakura float, sakura frappes, sakura pies, and sakusakura McFlurry. Mister Donuts has its own new sakura donut line! Starbucks welcomes spring with special drinks like the Sakura Fuwari Berry Frappuccino and the Sakura Fuwari Berry Milk Latte. Tully’s Coffee also has its own sakura lineup of special sakura frappes and donuts!
Let's Try Out Sakura Snacks!
To celebrate the coming of spring, Japanese snack companies also come up with sakura versions of their popular treats. Bourbon has sakura matcha mochi chocolates. Pocky has sakura biscuit sticks. Tohato has sakura-flavored caramel corn.
Even Nestle Japan has different varieties of Sakura Kit Kats to greet the spring like the Red & White Sakura Kit Kat, the Sakura Kinako Kit Kat, and the Sakura Sake Kit Kat. Honestly, even if you’re not Japanese, you can always have a taste of the sakura season by trying out sakura snacks. There are so many different treats for you to choose from!
Sakura in Anime
Seeing how sakura plays a big part in Japanese people’s lives, it should come as no surprise that these delicate flowers make their way into anime. They signify the start of spring, a symbol of romance, and youth. Most anime series have episodes with sakura as their backdrop to give them a romantic atmosphere!
There are also a lot of anime characters named after these dainty flowers. There’s Sakura Kinamoto from Cardcaptor Sakura, Sakura Haruno from Naruto, Sakura Matou from the Fate series, Chiyo Sakura from Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun, Futaba Sakura from Persona 5 the Animation, and many, many more. Sakura is such an elegant and youthful name.
Sakura Season Is for Beauty!
Seeing as the sakura blossom is the symbol of ephemeral beauty, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Japanese cosmetic companies release cherry blossom beauty products during the sakura season! There are sakura products for your skin like sakura body cream, face cream, and gels. You can also tryout sakura cosmetics like sakura lipstick, sakura blush-on and more.
During the spring season, girls also love decorating their nails with beautiful sakura-inspired nail art. Some are easy to replicate, while others have a lot of intricate details. Lucky for you, there are tons of fun sakura nail art tutorials that you can check online.
There you have it! Today we went on a long walk down the sakura lane to learn about the ephemeral beauty of the sakura and its place in Japanese culture. We learned about its part in Japanese philosophy, in history, and how it influences food culture and merch.
Would you want to take part in the sakura season? What sakura snacks do you think you’d enjoy? Don’t be shy and let us know your thoughts about the delicate sakura in the comment section below.
