TOKYO, March 29 — Tens of thousands of locals packed Ueno park today as Tokyo’s cherry blossom came into full bloom nearly nine days earlier than usual thanks to warmer weather.
Ueno Park estimates 85,000 people a day visit the 540,500 square metre park (133 acres), one of Japan’s most popular cherry blossom viewing spots, now ablaze with the pink and white flowers and petals fluttering in the winds. Officially this year’s flowering in Tokyo started on March 17th, nine days before the average bloom date and the third earliest bloom since 1953.
In Japan the blooming of the cherry blossom generally coincides with the first day of school, and start of work for the year’s new recruits in companies as the new school and fiscal year kicks off on April 1st. Traditionally it has always been the first job of new recruits to secure space under the cherry blossoms for the annual company “hanami (pronounce ha-na-mi)” or “cherry blossom viewing” in Japanese.
The light pink flowers symbolise new beginnings and fresh starts and thus the hanami brings not only the chance to sit and have a picnic with new colleagues but also the first chance for new recruits to get to know their colleagues in a social setting.
But with the flowers blossoming earlier, it is getting harder for companies to send new recruits to secure space instead they send busy workers who are still wrapping up the year-end business. However that has not stopped people from flocking to cherry blossoms sites. — Reuters
