Abe denies wife attended cherry blossom party in defiance of coronavirus calls to abstain
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday that his wife, Akie, did not attend a cherry blossom viewing party in Tokyo despite calls to refrain from outdoor gathering to help contain the coronavirus outbreak. Abe made the remarks during Friday's session of the Upper House Budget ...
In Washington, cherry blossoms test limits of coronavirus isolation
As Washingtonians muddled through coronavirus-induced isolation on Saturday, the city's famed cherry blossoms reached maximum bloom, offering an enticing temptation to test the limits of self-distancing. The delicate flowers opened just as many of the last vestiges of entertainment closed in the city, which is ...
In bloom? Celebrating Japan’s iconic cherry trees in a time of pandemic
Blossoms are beginning to open in Tokyo, but will this year's celebrations wither due to concern over the new coronavirus?
Why are Japan’s millennials shunning alcohol?
Some time before the coronavirus outbreak put a damper on this year’s hanami (blossom viewing) parties and other social activities, the media had already noted that the decline in alcohol consumption by younger Japanese has been accelerating. This phenomenon even made the front page ...
Why is Japan still a coronavirus outlier?
How has Japan seemingly escaped the spread of the coronavirus when other countries have suffered so badly?
Tokyo first in nation to see cherry blossoms flower with earliest date on record
The Meteorological Agency said a cherry tree on the grounds of Yasukuni Shrine began blooming 12 days earlier than usual and seven days earlier than last year.
As Japan scales down events due to COVID-19, Ehime Prefecture sticks to hanami tradition
The ever-growing outbreak of COVID-19 is prompting some municipalities to urge cancellations of hanami parties, the annual Japanese tradition of picnicking and carousing while enjoying the ephemeral beauty of cherry blossoms that start gracing parks and riversides once spring arrives. But Tokihiro Nakamura, governor of ...
Coronavirus fears threaten to wreck Tokyo's cherry blossom season
The Imperial Household Agency announced Friday that it will cancel the opening of Inui Street inside the Imperial Palace in Tokyo during the cherry blossom season, in the latest disruption caused by concerns over the new coronavirus. The street has been opened to the public ...
The parks surrounding Japan's historic castles are among the best spots to enjoy cherry blossoms. For a brief period every year, the cherry blossoms conspire with the regal architecture to create a spectacular sight.
Japan's famed cherry blossom season to arrive earlier than usual
Hanami is going to start a week earlier than last year, with full bloom in Tokyo due on March 27, an Osaka weather-forecaster says.
An 80-year-old Japanese English-language educator has collected donations for a project that aims to send hundreds of cherry blossom trees to Slovakia, as Japan and the central European country mark 100 years of diplomatic ties this year. Masumi Ormandy is the vice principal and a ...
Japan will donate about 6,500 cherry trees to Britain as a symbol of their bilateral friendship, with a ceremony planned to plant some in Regent's Park in central London on Wednesday. The event was attended by various dignitaries and others including Prince Richard, Japanese Ambassador ...
