What is the Message of Recent Cherry Blossom Phenomenon?

Osaka – Saturday, April 10, 2010

Cherry blossoms, beauties of natures at this time of the year symbolizing spring, have been in their best in most parts of Japan last weekend and this weekend, and with nice weather at weekends people have been enjoying them. Cherry blossom enjoyment is a topic in TV news and in daily conversation at this time of the year. From such recent information, there have been signs that global warming is changing the ecosystem of cherry blossoms and it may well change how we can enjoy them in the future.

1. What is the custom of enjoying cherry blossoms in Japan?

It is a custom to enjoy cherry blossoms called “ohanami”, literally “watch and enjoy flowers (cherry blossoms)” in Japan at this time of the year. People would go out to see them, very often with lunch and drink, just like a picnic, in families and group of friends. In some cases, group of adults would take alcohols as well and it is indeed an outdoor banquet with cherry blossom show. Even at weekdays, it is quite common for business people to enjoy “ohanami” after work with food and drink. With so many people going out for “ohanami”, reserving excellent places is an issue and it is not unusual that people compete for reserving best places in famous “ohanami” places such as Maruyama Park in Kyoto from early morning.

2. What is the effect of the custom of “ohanami”?

1) Tourism

The popularity of the custom is a big business for tourism, thus tourist companies have developed varieties of their products i.e. group tours of “ohanami” at famous places and some minor places, to keep them busy and making business this time of the year. Some of the famous sightseeing places in western part of Japan include Takato in Nagano, Yoshino Mountain in Nara, and many famous sight seeing spots of Kyoto such as Maruyama Koen (Park); Kiyomizu Temple, Tetsugaku-no-michi “(literally “philosophy road” in which people waked to think philosophy) and Nijo Castle to name just a few.

Takato is often said as “tenka-daiichi”, literally “the best in the world” because the total territory of the castle, which is a hill” is all covered with cherry blossom trees and its view is magnificent. Yoshino Mountain in Nara is also extremely famous, known as “Yoshino Sembon Zakura”, literally “thousands of cherry blossom trees of Yoshino Mountain”, because mountains are planted with so many thousands of cherry blossom trees covering all Yoshino Mountain. People can enjoy cherry blossoms at Hoshino Mountain for long period because they bloom and become in their best in different timing attributing to difference in how much they are above sea level. Places such as Tetsugakuno-Michi, Maruyama Koen (Park); Kiyomizu Temple and Nijo Castle to name a few in Kyoto are all famous sight seeing spots throughout the year, visited by tourists from all over the world as well as from every parts of Japan, especially in spring, attracting so many people to enjoy beauties of nature of cherry blossoms.

Many of such cherry blossoms are enjoyed night time as well as daytime. They are illuminated at night for people to enjoyed longer hours in a day, and enjoy the beauty quite different from that of daytime.

2) TV news

At this time of the year, “ohanami” and status of cherry blossoms are hot topic. In the TV news status of cherry blossoms from major places, sometimes live, are reported. And in the following part which is weather forecast session, cherry blossom information is focused, such as when the cherry blossoms start to bloom in each parts of Japan, where is the cherry blossom front so that people would know in which part of Japan they can enjoy “ohanami”, and for how long they can enjoy “ohanami”.

With custom of “ohanami” and with such reports and weather forecast on TV, it is more than natural that cherry blossom and “ohanami” is centre of conversation at work, at home and among friends during this time of the year.

3. How movement of cherry blossom front and how cherry blossoms coming to bloom have been different this year compared to previous years?

There has been many unusual phenomenon regarding cherry blossom front and how cherry blossoms have come to bloom this year. After hibernation in winter, cherry blossoms come to bloom when the temperature reaches to a certain point for more than a certain number of days. Therefore, cherry blossoms in warm places i.e. southern part of Japan come to bloom first and those in northern part of Japan and/or in higher up in mountains later. This is why cherry blossom front moves usually upward, from south to north.

However, that was not the case this year. There was no clear cherry blossom front. Tokyo was the first place to come to bloom, before Kyushu, southern part of Japan, when Kyushu should be the first place to come to bloom. Also, some cherry blossom trees in Kyushu did not bloom at all.

4. What is the reason for unusual phenomenon of cherry blossom front and of how cherry blossoms came to bloom this year?

The reason of unusual phenomenon of cherry blossom front and of how cherry blossoms came to bloom this year is global warming. The logic is basically the same as the recent unusual phenomenon of how maple leaves going red, which attributes to change (rise) in average temperature.

With global warming, the average temperature in some parts of Kyushu did not drop to the level for cherry blossom trees to “hibernate” in winter. Therefore, when temperature rose to a certain level in March, the level which usually cherry blossoms awake from hibernation and come to bloom, they could not awake simply because they did not hibernate in the first place. This is why some cherry blossom trees in Kyushu did not come to bloom.

Global warming is also the reason that Tokyo was the first place for cherry blossoms to come bloom; the temperature level in the winter and spring was optimum in Tokyo for cherry blossom trees to hibernate and awake in the earliest timing. Cherry blossoms in other parts of Japan between Kyushu and Tokyo did bloom but the temperature in winter in such places was above the optimum for cherry blossom hibernation so it took time for them to wake up from hibernation and come to bloom. This implies that with further global warming it is quite possible that some cherry blossoms in such places will not come to bloom similarly to Kyushu.

5. What does the cherry blossom phenomenon imply?

To the author, the cherry blossom phenomenon is not simply the fact that we may not be able to enjoy the beauties of nature of spring in the near future if global warming should continue, but is a strong message that we should take seriously about necessity of environmental preservation for sustainability.

The message is quite clear, and is the same message from many other phenomena of how other ecosystems of land and sea have been changing, giving negative effects on our food supply and lives. Measures such as GHG emission have already been discussed and initiated as mentioned in the previous article Japan Takes Lead in GHG Emission Reduction in the US's Climate Change Summit, and this is urgent; we need to take actions immediately on the global level.