Do you love nature? Regardless, there are places in the world of nature that cut through the divide in terms of opinions.
In other words, they are so beautiful to dispute! Talk of Mother Nature and you think of one Japanese cherry blossom during the spring.
Well, in case you didn’t know, cherry blossom is simply formed out of a combination of beautiful flowers of several trees of the genus Prunus – mainly the Japanese Cherry which is also called sakura.
The blossoming begins in January and ends at the end of March or at the beginning of April. The blossom will usually move north in what’s known as ‘sakura zensen‘.
The people of Japan pay close attention to this period that they have invested a lot to the Metrological Agency to forecast the season.
Then, when the long-awaited magical season comes, it’s time to turn out in large numbers at parks and shrines where these trees are found, to experience nature at its best. Of course, it is also a chance to have fun together e.g. by holding flower viewing parties and who does not fancy such a chance?
The festival is called the ‘Hanami Festival’ that is aimed at celebrating the beauty of the cherry blossom and to also give the people a chance to relax and enjoy the beauty that the cherry brings.
The festival is also held to commemorate the 1912 gift of 3000 cherries from the mayor of Tokyo to the city of Washington DC and to also honor the friendship between US and Japan.
During the recent season, the National Geographic invited the community to send in their photographs of the cherry blossom and a lot of amazing pictures were received.
Here, we have compiled the best of the best! Check them out and see what you have been missing.
White Wall
Image credits: Masayuki Yamashita
Land of Mist
Image credits: Yoshiki Fujiwara
Evening cherry blossoms
Image credits: Aurora Simionescu
Japan’s Cherry Blossom Festival
Image credits: Ryan WH
Pink sakura and pink line
Image credits: Masayuki Yamashita
Sakura Reverie
Image credits: S. Ohtani
A train passing by in spring
Image credits: Janvika Shah
The color of the cultivation in spring
Image credits: Hiroki Inoue
Old couple
Image credits: Joe Ishikawa
After fall of Sakura
Image credits: Danilo Dungo
Tunnel of cherry blossoms
Image credits: Jessie Meyer
Spring evening
Image credits: Sho Shibata
Sakura blizzard
Image credits: Joydeep Dasgupta
Chidorigafuchi
Image credits: totomai martinez
References:
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