Hana-mi 花見 is an ancient Japanese custom that involves celebrating the arrival of spring by admiring the blossoms on the trees, particularly those of the cherry trees. It is a time to fully appreciate the cycle of life and to reflect on its transience.

‘Hana-mi’ literally means ‘flower-viewing’. It is also known as kan’ô 観桜. The generic term sakura refers to the cherry tree (= sakura-gi 桜木), but also to cherry blossoms (= sakura-bana 桜花), cherry bark (= sakura-gawa 桜皮), and even the pink colour of cherry blossom petals (= sakura-iro 桜色) .

Cherry trees are found throughout Japan, and they all bloom simultaneously at roughly the same time of year. Their flowering is a significant event in the Japanese tradition of observing the seasons.

Hana-mi is thought to date back to the Nara period (710–794), during which aristocrats would hold banquets whilst admiring plum blossoms that had just been imported from China. However, these were replaced by cherry trees during the Heian period (794–1185).

During the Kamakura period (1185–1333), when the samurai had seized power, this custom passed from the imperial nobility to the warrior class. Jealous aristocrats came to believe that true refinement lay in admiring plum trees, whilst cherry trees were for uncouth country folk.

Later, during the Edo period (1603–1868), the middle classes, and subsequently the general public, adopted this custom, taking the opportunity to sing and dance together.

At that time, in spring, there was ‘plum blossom viewing’ (ume-mi 梅見), which provided an opportunity to rekindle old friendships with close friends, ‘cherry blossom viewing’ (sakura-mi 桜見) for farewell parties, and ‘peach blossom viewing’ (momo-mi 桃見) for family gatherings.

This year, the cherry blossom season officially began in Tokyo on 26 March and, unsurprisingly, it will begin latest in the far north, in Sapporo, on 27 April.