Every year, after the snow finally melts and the dark, gloomy skies brighten, bursts of pink signal that spring has arrived. This time of year, cherry blossoms are at peak bloom, bringing flower fans and shutterbugs outdoors.
In Tokyo, city-dwelling office workers rush out for nighttime hanami, or cherry-blossom viewing, complemented by sake-drinking parties for the one- to two-week season.
In the United States, Washington, D.C., is Cherry Blossom Central, the most popular spot to see the pretty pink and white flowers. With one day off last week, I had no time to go to Japan--or D.C.--so I ventured out closer to home, to the four-mile Branch Brook Park that straddles Newark, Bloomfield and Belleville, New Jersey.
I was glad I did. The park was virtually empty last weekend, almost two before its Cherry Blossom Gala and Festival, but right on time for blooming. (Maybe I was early?) And many of my colleagues returned to work in New York on Monday, complaining of uncomfortable crowds along the Tidal Basin in Washington. A little known fact: Branch Brook Park has 4,100 trees, more than the 3,750 in the nation's capital. It's the largest collection in one site and also the most diverse, with 14 varieties of cherry blossoms. If you ask me, it's one of New Jersey's and the mid-Atlantic's hidden gems.
Across the world, cherry-blossom trees are in usually in bloom in early April, which means the best time for hanami is now.
Here are some other places to view pink blossoms:
Philadelphia is home to more than 2,000 flowering Japanese cherry trees, half of them a gift from the Japanese government in 1926. Blossoms in the City of Brotherly Love beautify Fairmount Park. The trees will be celebrated until April 17 at the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia.
Seoul is home to the popular Lotte World cherry blossom festival. In April, the streets are awash in pink. Events include traditional Korean music and dance. By day, visit Seoul Forest, where you can see deer among the blooms. For an evening stroll, visit the LED-illuminated blossoms near the river.
San Francisco--The organizers of the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival claims to have the biggest cherry-blossom festival outside of D.C., a celebration to Japanese culture with food booths, cultural performances, martial arts, a grand parade and queen pageant. More than 150,000 people are expected April 10-11 and April 17-18.
Yoshino Mountain, Japan--The 5-mile-long mountain range is filled with tens of thousands of cherry blossom trees that bloom at different times in March and April, depending on the altitude. There are almost 200 kinds of trees in Yoshino Mountain, which isn't far from Nara and Kyoto, Japan's first cities.
Vancouver is famous for its thousands of flowering trees that line many streets and parks, including Queen Elizabeth Park and Stanley Park. Like other cities, this one has a yearly festival, including a haiku invitational to celebrate the blossoms.
Macon, Georgia, calls itself the "Cherry Blossom Capital of the World." With more than 300,000 Yoshina cherry trees, Macon deserves the title.
At the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, visitors can sample Japanese dishes along with their hanami.
Cherry blossoms at Brooklyn Botanic last year
4 comments:
This is fascinating! I had no idea there were so many places to see the blooms.
And your colleagues were right. The crowds in DC were ridiculous. The local paper said there were more Metro riders last Friday than on any other weekday in DC history with the exception of the inauguration.
I really love the first picture of the post. I went to SF's Cherry Blossom festival last year, but I really don't remember seeing Cherry Blossoms. I think it was more about the parade and the food! I was in Vancouver last spring though and saw lots of beautiful flowering trees!
I love this post!
Gorgeous photos! Cherry Blossoms are quite the sight.
L
PS: I really want to add your blog to my RSS feeds but it looks like there's something up with the subscription feature. Can you check your Blogger backend?
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