Tokyo, 6 APR ( EFE).- the season of cherry blossoms, known in Japan as “sakura”, has rescued, one year after the tsunami that struck the country, the spirit of festive and lively million Japanese these days enjoyed one of its greatest traditions.
Last year, with Japan still shocked that was its worst disaster since World War II, local authorities called to avoid the large common celebrations in the “sakura” out of respect for the more than 19,000 deaths and missing.
A year after the tragedy, sadness has given way to normalcy and Japan has gradually recovered its pulse, which has allowed the capital gardens amanezcan these days with perfectly aligned blue tarpaulins that warn of a reserved space for the “hanami”, the great feast of the “sakura”-trimmed.
Are days in which the usual rigor gives way to a greater spontaneity and groups of friends, co-workers and families gather to celebrate mass “hanami” or under cherry blossom picnic.
According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency, today is the day that the cherry trees are in full bloom in Tokyo, a week later than expected before the cold which has plagued the capital last month, while in the northeast of the country it will be delayed a week.
While picture a cherry tree in downtown Havana Hibiya park, Kenji Tokumono, 45, says EfE that this spring “hanami” is a party, unlike last year, when it was overshadowed by tragedy.
During these days of “sakura” is usual to see in Tokyo out of work a pilgrimage of Japanese trajeados in direction of cherry, loaded with bags of beer, sake (rice wine) and blankets to alleviate the cold that, at this time of the year, still heats as the Sun hides.
In enterprises, it is tradition that newbies are responsible for early to reserve a space under the cherry trees with a blue tarpaulin and, thus, give Office colleagues the best location from which to admire the flowers and hold a makeshift “night hanami”.
According Tokumono, for businesses the Festival is important “to welcome newcomers and dismiss those that will.” “And you drink enough, which is a point in which there is greater communication,” jokes.
On weekends this great celebration of spring brings together families and groups of friends fitted with stoves, refrigerators and large reserves of saké to enjoy the day.
In little over one week period that lasts “hanami”, the parks have food stalls and are decorated with lanterns and lights that illuminate the trees so that neither night stop to admire the changing color of a Festival in honor of the ephemeral beauty.
Also the shops, restaurants and shopping malls are delivered these days to the “sakura”, with thematic products and decoration which is dominated by the characteristic of the cherry blossoms pink.
The flowering of these trees is among the major tourist attractions of Japan, which last year saw how its visitor numbers fell sharply after the tsunami of March and the nuclear crisis that triggered.
Although the definitive data still not have spread, the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) estimated that in 2011 visited the archipelago 6.22 million tourists, under 8,61 million 2010.
However, the JTA trusts this spring to produce a recovery aided also by the “sakura”, which also coincided with the festivities of Easter, which lets you see an unusual number of Europeans, Latin Americans or Americans in the major resorts of Tokyo.
Moment, the majority of the large tourist complexes in the country have started the year with annual increases of up to two digits in your number of visitors, and hope to recover fully in 2012 of the impact of the earthquake.
By Javier Picazo Feliú
A young woman contemplates a cherry blossom, an expected annual event with enthusiasm by millions of nipponese, that fill the parks around the country to celebrate the arrival of spring, next to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo (Japan), today, Friday, April 06, 2012. EFE
A man takes a photo of a cherry blossom, an annual event anticipated with enthusiasm by millions of nipponese, that fill the parks around the country to celebrate the arrival of spring, next to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo (Japan), today, Friday, April 06, 2012. EFE
