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July 06, 2025
 

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SAKURA

Classmates and others planted cherry trees on Thursday in the city of Niigata, praying for the swift return of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korea.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2025
Abductee Megumi Yokota's classmates donate cherry trees to school
Megumi's father, Shigeru, photographed her standing in front of cherry trees at Yorii junior high school seven months before she was kidnapped.
Cherry blossoms in full bloom at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on March 30
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 10, 2025
AI app helps monitor cherry tree health and keep hanami tradition blooming
As Japan celebrates cherry blossom season, aging trees pose safety risks — and a new AI app is helping track their condition.
Masatoshi Asari is one of Japan’s foremost living authorities on cherry trees and their blossoms.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2025
The man who sent Japan's cherry blossoms out to the world
Masatoshi Asari's trees — symbols of peace and reconciliation — blossom in the U.K., U.S., Poland and China.
A report from Dai-ichi Life Research Institute shows that the cost of typical food items eaten at the gatherings known as hanami has risen 21.4% in the past six years.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 2, 2025
Inflation casts shadow over Japan’s cherry blossom season
A report shows that the cost of typical food items eaten at flower viewing gatherings has risen 21.4% in the past six years.
The cherry blossoms at Inokashira Park in Tokyo on Thursday
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2025
Cherry blossoms come into full bloom in Tokyo
On Sunday, monitored sample cherry trees reached full bloom also in the cities of Wakayama and Matsuyama, both western Japan.
The Tokyo National Museum’s garden is open to the public in springtime, when 10 different varieties of cherry trees are blooming.
CULTURE / Art
Mar 28, 2025
Cherry blossom-themed art to see this weekend in Tokyo
With the cherry blossoms’ ephemeral beauty immortalized in art and literature for centuries, there's plenty of artworks to gaze upon on rainy days.
Cherry blossoms along a road in Tokyo on Tuesday. The 2025 cherry blossom season is expected to have an economic impact of around ¥1.39 trillion on Japan.
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2025
Hanami season to have record ¥1.39 trillion economic impact on Japan
The estimate is 22.2% higher than last year's ¥1.14 trillion, according to an annual report compiled by Kansai University economist Katsuhiro Miyamoto.
Blooms are seen on the Meteorological Agency's sample cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2025
Cherry blossom season kicks off in Tokyo after warm weekend
At approximately 2 p.m. Monday, the Meteorological Agency announced that its reference Somei-Yoshino cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine was officially in bloom.
A Yoshino cherry tree in bloom in Kumamoto City's Nishi Ward on Sunday.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2025
Cherry blossoms bloom in Kumamoto and Kochi
Compared with last year, the blooming date was the same in Kochi and three days earlier in Kumamoto.
A Weathernews forecast shows the cherry blossom season will begin on March 21 in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2025
Cherry blossom season set to kick off on March 21 in Tokyo
Blossoms are expected to reach full bloom at a pace similar to or slightly faster than average years in western and eastern Japan.
Tokyo is expected to lead the season with its first cherry blossoms on March 21, followed by Fukuoka, Kochi and Hiroshima prefectures as well as the city of Yokohama on March 22.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2025
Cherry blossom season predicted to begin in Tokyo on March 21
This year’s cherry blossom season is expected to align with or slightly precede historical averages in western and eastern Japan.
Cherry blossom viewers at Notokashima Station in Ishikawa Prefecture on Saturday
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2024
Train station in quake-hit town crowded with cherry blossom viewers
Cherry trees line both sides of the station's platforms, creating a stunning sight that has earned it the nickname the "cherry blossom tunnel."
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife Yuko Kishida attend an event to pledge 250 new cherry blossom trees to Washington at the historic Tidal Basin on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2024
Japan to donate 250 new cherry blossom trees to U.S.
Around 3,700 cherry blossom trees at the Tidal Basin were donated by Tokyo in 1912 as a symbol of the friendship between Japan and the United States.
People visit to view cherry blossoms in full bloom at Chidorigafuchi, one of the moats around the Imperial Palace, in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2024
Tokyo crowds revel as cherry blossoms reach full bloom
The Meteorological Agency declared that Japan's most common and popular Somei Yoshino variety of cherry tree was in full bloom.
People take photographs of cherry blossoms at a park in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 3, 2024
Hanami budgets soar as cherry blossoms sweep Japan
People are spending the most on cherry blossom viewings in six years, with more traveling for the annual event, a survey has found.
Cherry blossoms bloom at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 31, 2024
Tokyo marks final day of March with record high temperature for month
Cherry blossoms in the capital finally burst into bloom on Friday, marking the latest blooming in over a decade.
Jin-Oh Hyun searches for wild king cherry trees and their relatives on Geoje Island, off the coast of South Korea, on March 22.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 30, 2024
Wanted in South Korea: imperialism-free cherry blossoms
Activists want to replace a variety of cherry tree associated with the Japanese colonial era with one they say is Korean. The science is messy.
Cherry blossoms in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on Friday
JAPAN / Society
Mar 29, 2024
Cherry blossoms bloom in Tokyo, 15 days later than last year
This year's blooming is the latest in the capital since 2012, when they were declared to have blossomed on March 31.
Two people try to take a selfie under the illuminated cherry blossoms in Kyoto’s Gion district last year.
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 25, 2024
Sakura stories revisited: Getting in the mood for hanami
We are revisiting some past content on the science, economics and culture of cherry blossom season.
On Saturday, this season's first cherry blossoms were seen on Somei-Yoshino trees in Kochi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2024
Kochi becomes first prefecture to see cherry blossoms bloom in 2024
It is the first time in six years that Kochi has seen the earliest cherry blossom blooms in the country.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
U.S. military apologizes over Okinawa sexual assault case
Col. Neil Owens (right), chief of staff for the 3rd Marine Division, bows in apology at the Okinawa Prefectural Government office in Naha on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning
Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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