Special invitees enjoy the cherry blossoms on the grounds of the Japan Mint in Osaka’s Kita Ward on April 4, a day ahead of the official start of the annual opening of the grounds to visitors for a festival scheduled to run until April 11. (Video footage by Mari Endo)

Photo/Illutration British honeymooners Louise and Alex Smith enjoy the cherry blossoms on April 5 in Tokyo’s Meguro Ward. (Risako Miyake)

Close encounters of a different kind draw hordes of foreign visitors to Japan at this time of year.

It’s cherry blossom viewing season, and this spring marks the first since COVID-19 was downgraded as an infectious disease last May.

As a 41-year-old Vietnamese tour guide put it, “When you think Japan, it is cherry blossoms and when you think cherry blossoms, it is Japan.”

On April 5, he escorted a group of his countrymen to Sumida Park with its in-your-face view of Tokyo Skytree, the tallest structure in Japan. April is the man’s busiest month as he will handle 11 tour groups from Vietnam, leaving him with no days off.

Elsewhere in the capital, an Australian woman was taking photos and video footage of the cherry blossoms along the Megurogawa river. Showing her deep appreciation of Japanese culture, she said: “The time to enjoy the blossoms is very short. It is beautiful because the flowers are so ephemeral.”

And an American demonstrated his knowledge of Japanese anime by stating, “Romantic encounters always occur under cherry trees.”

As a self-confessed fan of “Sailor Moon,” “Naruto” and other anime hits, the 34-year-old said the beauty of the blossoms was due to their density on the trees.

SPENDING SPLURGE

Foreign visitors descending on Japan during cherry blossom season clearly bring huge economic benefits.

Katsuhiro Miyamoto, professor emeritus of economics at Osaka-based Kansai University, has specialized in coming up with estimates of the economic benefits of events as varied as the Tokyo Olympics, cherry blossom season and even the Hanshin Tigers winning the Central League pennant.

He calculated that the estimated 3.73 million foreign tourists who visit during cherry blossom season could drop as much as 113 billion yen ($745 billion) into the economy.

And, of course, the cherry blossoms are a massive draw for Japanese, too.

For instance, reservations made months ago for the annual opening of the grounds of the Japan Mint in Osaka’s Kita Ward saw around 30,000 visitors flocking to see the 340 cherry trees there on April 5.

A total of 244,000 or so visitors are expected through April 11.

GOING SOLO

And it wouldn’t be hanami season without the rowdy crowds of Japanese eating and drinking under cherry trees at places like Ueno Park in Tokyo.

But not everybody craves a party atmosphere.

Shufufu, an online site dedicated to providing lifestyle hints, carried out a survey in March to gauge who readers wanted with them for cherry blossom viewing.

Sixteen percent said they preferred to enjoy the flowers by themselves.

“There are occasions when the flowers can be looked at more closely when one is alone,” said a woman sitting on a bench on the banks of the Megurogawa on the evening of April 4.

The woman was contemplating her surroundings while eating fried chicken and French fries purchased at a supermarket and sipping from a can of beer. She said she planned to stroll for about an hour from Nakameguro to Gotanda, while occasionally resting on benches.

Along the banks of the Arakawa river in the capital’s Kita Ward, a 50-year-old company employee walked by himself while sipping an alcoholic beverage.

“While I enjoy a lively gathering for the cherry blossoms, I also like to be by myself so I can reflect on various memories,” he said.

Organizers of cherry blossom events almost always have headaches about scheduling because the weather can delay or quicken the blooming.

While the blooming was slower than usual in western and eastern Japan, northern Japan is expected to be able to enjoy cherry blossoms earlier than in normal years.

(This article was written by Risako Miyake, Saori Kuroda, Jin Hirakawa, Takashi Ichida, Emika Terashima and Akihito Ogawa.)

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