A lot of trees of this variety have been cultivated for ornamental use, and thus, are not fruit-bearing.
I was also surprised to know that there are 200 kinds of sakura! And they are not just in various shades of pink but we've also seen some white and green cherry blossoms.
Here are more interesting facts about Sakura:
- "Hanami" is the Japanese centuries-old practice where Japanese have picnic or drink sake (Japanese rice wine) under a blooming sakura. People get together with family members and friends in parks, temples and shrines for flower-viewing parties.
- A lot of travel agencies cite sakura viewing on the first week of April. But this isn't the only window of opportunity for sakura viewing in Japan. First week of April is the best time to see cherry blossoms in the Kyoto and Tokyo areas but as early as January, blossoming starts in the Okinawa region. The last sakura bloom happens in the first half of May in Sapporo (Hokkaido). To view the complete cherry bloom forecast for 2014, you may check out http://www.jnto.go.jp/sakura/eng/index.php.
- During WW2, sakura was used to trigger nationalism among the Japanese people. Japanese pilots would take branches of sakura trees or paint sakura on the sides of their planes before they go on a suicide mission. Falling cherry petals symbolized sacrifice in suicide missions to honor the emperor.
- Cherry blossoms and leaves are edible and are used as food ingredients in Japan. During sakura season, food brands come up with various sakura-flavored food and drinks. Since we can't read Japanese, anything with the pink flower icon on the packaging means it's sakura-flavored. Haha...
Anyway, here are more sakura photos I took in Osaka, Kyoto and Atami.
