Chasing Sakura Season

Follow the Blossom Trail from Japan to China

Japan is associated with the burst of pink blooms, with many travelling in search of their fleeting beauty. There are challenges to travelling to see Sakura (cherry blossom): from overcrowding to increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. At Travellers' Tales we will plan your itinerary to ensure you can enjoy every colourful moment!

Fewer people associate China with blossom, though it is likewise stunningly adorned in Spring. With the recent decision to grant UK citizens 30 days visa-free travel in China, it is now time to expand our horizons.

At Travellers’ Tales we navigate when and where to go, and how to Hanami (flower view) in style.

When to go

Cherry blossom first blooms from mid-January in the tropical Japanese south Okinawa and travels north bound; ending in Hokkaido mid-May. In China it begins late February in Kunming, the ‘City of Eternal Spring’, and travels north towards Beijing. Exact dates can’t be predicted and our team at Travellers’ Tales recommend embracing the slow travel trend for this reason: staying longer increases the likelihood of catching full bloom.

Where to go

Famous parks abound in Tokyo, Kyoto, Beijing and Shanghai. However, there is beauty – and fewer crowds – beyond the biggest cities.

We recommend Kanazawa, a smaller northern Japanese city of historic districts, traditional teahouses and a magnificent castle. Blossom is abundant here. Further south lies the coastal town of Minamiizu, where they illuminate the cherry blossom trees along the Aono river, a warm Spring evening delight.

In Tibet lies Bomi Peach Blossom Valley. Miles of pink blossoms are silhouetted by snowcapped mountains and blue skies, an idyllic Spring display. Alternatively, venture to Yongfu in China: both a tea plantation and a cherry blossom garden combined in one striking landscape.

How to take part

In Japan the art of blossom-viewing is called Hanami. People flock to picnic under the pink trees. Another tradition, Yozakura, sees locals weave lights and lanterns into the branches. This makes for a blissful evening walk, whether around Hirosaki Castle and its glowing park or under the illuminated branches of the almost 100-year-old “Gion Weeping Cherry” tree in Kyoto.

Both countries have seasonal delicacies only available during blossom time.  The Japanese eat the blossom in treats like Sakura Mochi, a pink rice cake of red bean paste which is wrapped in a salted cherry blossom leaf. They pickle blossoms for savoury onigiri (rice balls), supermarkets sell blossom Kit-Kats, and you can find Bento (lunch boxes) in Spring colours with Sakura-shaped rice.

China is famously associated with Spring cuisine, from spring rolls to spring onions. Seasonal fresh ingredients include crisp bamboo shoots and peppery Shepherds Purse (a wild green vegetable eaten in dumplings). Tea leaves are harvested in early Spring too - this is the perfect time to enjoy a traditional tea ceremony.

Both China and Japan have a myriad of Spring festivals and expert planning can unlock rich cultural celebrations. Sakura-themed festivals don’t always have set dates. They typically depend on the flowering.

China famously holds the Wuxi International Cherry Blossom Festival, with more than 30,000 cherry blossom trees, planted to symbolize friendship with Japan. The trees are illuminated at night and traditional Chinese events are hosted, including Opera, painting and calligraphy.

Our inspiration

Here at Travellers’ Tales, we have books to inspire your journey. One perfect Spring novel is Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu, which describes one woman’s journey across the spellbinding Chinese landscape as she escapes war, clinging onto her ancient scroll and the stories within. The original Peach Blossom Spring is a famous fable of a hidden Spring utopia, which she tells her son along the way. The fable and novel represent a longing for peace.

The Japanese association with blossom is of the transience of life. This concept is known as Mono No Aware, and is depicted in The Narrow Road to The Deep North, a travelogue mixed with haiku that describes Matsuo Basho’s journey from Edo (Tokyo) through rural northern Japan. The Tokyo cherry blossoms bid him bittersweet farewell. His perilous trip, combined with changing nature around him, convey that things can be beautiful precisely because they are brief.

Step into Travellers’ Tales this Spring to book your next adventure or to find your next inspiring read!