Kansai News » spring

Cherry Blossoms at 50%

Kyle Yates — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 15:12:58 +0000

The past few days before the weekend were warm, but this weekend got a little cooler. Cherry blossoms were about 30 to 40% opened Saturday and about 40 to 50% today, Sunday.

With the warm weather we had during the daytime yesterday and today, the blossoms should open a little faster Monday.

Give the sakura cherry blossoms a few more days and they will be fully blossomed. Cherry blossoms should be 100% by Thursday. By Saturday, the flowers will be falling off creating the beautiful snowing effect.

Traveling to Japan in Spring

Kyle Yates — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:55:18 +0000

Spring is a great time to visit Japan! As the weather begins to warm in March, rain begins falling more often and the grass begins to turn green. This clears the air and opens up beautiful blue skies.

Florally speaking, plum blossoms are the first to bloom. Birds fill the branches as they sip the nectar from the flowers. A few weeks later, cherry blossoms make their presence known. After cherry blossoms (sakura), peach blossoms begin their process. They are somewhat temperamental and bloom depending on winter temperatures, location and spring weather. Iris flowers bloom in late April to early May, while other flowers on the ground begin blossoming out with plum blossoms and continue all the way to the end of summer.

One of the most common flowers visible in spring is the dandelion, tanpopo in Japanese. They add extra color to landscape photos of cherry blossoms, blue picnic tarps and hanami viewers.

Springtime means a break for students. Japanese students are out at the end of March for a week or so while everyone else is busier than usual finishing out the fiscal year before the new one starts in April. Aside from students, the only people who aren’t putting in extra hours at work are the retirees.

If you travel in Japan in spring, you are bound to run across huge groups of elderly and retirees as they are the majority of the tourists visiting parks, museums, shrines, temples and hiking in Japan other than rich Chinese. Practice your Japanese or maybe even some Mandarin before you come for a visit. Elderly are learning English and many other languages. Many love to spark up conversation with foreigners visiting their home country.

Saturday’s Gonna Be a Great Day for Hanami

Kyle Yates — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 07:06:47 +0000

Rain is forecast for tonight and early into tomorrow morning. But by sunrise tomorrow, the rain should taper off and the sun should come out to dry up the rain-soaked grass and dirt where most people will sit to enjoy cherry blossoms.

For diehard hanami participants, the rain is actually a blessing. Wet grass and dirt deter many from leaving their homes, which means those who do venture out will not have to beat the crowds to popular cherry blossom places.

So if you are thinking that the rain tonight is going to spoil your cherry blossom viewing tomorrow, you might want to stick to your plan because the sun will come out tomorrow and you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be beautiful anywhere cherry blossoms are blooming.

Tomorrow blossoms will be mankai (fully bloomed) in most places around the Kansai region. Just don’t forget to take a sheet or chair to sit on if you plan to sit and admire the blossoms, or else you may need a change of clothes!

Hanami Viewing

Ponga Castro — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:33:15 +0000

The Suita Bible Gospel Church English group in Suita, Osaka will have a hanami get-together in Yawatashi, Kyoto at Sewari Park on April 5th. If you would like to join the group for a day, hopefully in the sun, come with a bento and a friend and join us. We’ll probably be the largest group of foreigners and Japanese there!

View Map!

I See Pink

Kyle Yates — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:40:06 +0000

Sakura blossoms should be popping out soon! The pink color of the cherry blossoms is already showing. From far away, you can already see pink in the trees. Up close, the blossoms are showing their colors, but none of the blossoms in southern Kyoto have opened…yet. They should open in a few days though.

Here are what they look like right now!

Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom

Kyle Yates — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:37:37 +0000

This year’s cherry blossom season in the Osaka – Kyoto area is right on schedule. The projected time they should be in full bloom is between the last week of March and the first week of April. The rain is falling and warm air has already made its presence. Soon the buds will be popping their way out. From that point, it is only a matter of weeks before they are completely blossomed in all their pink glory.

For more information and a daily update on the blossoms, visit KansaiGaijin where daily pictures of the blossoms will be posted to help anyone wishing to get a better idea on when to head out to the nearest park for the perfect blossoms.

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