cherry blossoms – Calligraphy by Vicky

咲 (saku) “to bloom”

A 1-character Japanese calligraphy work, black ink on pink card

Springtime is the season for beautiful blooming flowers in Japan. The most well-known are cherry blossoms. Plum and peach blossoms are popular too. They look similar, but there are some key differences:

🌸 桜 (sakura) “cherry blossoms” 🌸

A Japanese calligraphy work of one character, meaning "cherry blossom", black ink on white background

It’s cherry blossom season in (parts of) Japan! Cherry blossoms are arguably the most beloved of Japanese flowers, and even feature on the 100 coin. In springtime many Japanese people like to do 花見 (Hanami) “viewing cherry blossoms”, sometimes taking the excuse to have a party and drink under the trees.