Cherry Blossom Festival
During the time of the blossoming cherry trees, a festive viewing of the cherry blossoms occurs at many sites throughout Japan. This is a month of celebrations.

Japan

Cherry blossom viewing and the Cherry Dance

During this month, some place in Japan is having its cherry season, as there is two to three weeks difference in the climate of southwest Japan and northeast Japan. The people spend anywhere from one to seven days visiting parks, shrines and hillsides. The most visited places are Arashiyama and Kiyomizudera in Kyoto, and Yoshino near Nara. Under the cherry trees, the people eat, drink and are enjoy.

The Cherry Dance comes during the season when the blossoms are at their best, but the famous cherry dance in Kyoto is set for the month of April each year. In Japan it is called the Miyako Odori, or the dance of the capital. In Tokyo, Osaka, and all places where there are geisha, there is a cherry dance at this time of year.

Source:   Japanese Festival and Calendar Lore by William Hugh Ershine. Tokyo: Kyo Bun Kwan, 1933, pp. 59-60. Photo by Glen Hughes,   Range of Vision,   Wanderings - Japanese Cherry Blossoms.