Cherry Blossoms

In the south of Okinawa, where Hyakuna Garan stands, the cherry trees are in full bloom right now.

The cherry you see in Okinawa is not the Somei-yoshino, whose pale pink petals flutter down in the way so many of you will know.

This cherry has deep pink, bell-shaped flowers. It is called the Ryukyu hikan-zakura (also known as kanhi-zakura), and it stands out beautifully against Okinawa’s blue sky.

In Okinawa it takes the place of the Somei-yoshino as the reference tree used to declare the start of the cherry blossom season.

It is not a native species; it is thought to have been brought in from overseas, with some trees later growing wild.

From around late January, in the north of Okinawa, the area known as Yanbaru, the cherries are already beginning to flower.

Cherry trees need a certain amount of cold before they bloom, so in Okinawa the cherry blossom front sets off not from the south but from the north, and travels south.

That means the first cherry blossom in Japan is to be seen in northern Okinawa.

The best-known place to see it is Yaedake Sakura no Mori Park in Motobu.

Some 7,000 cherry trees grow on the slopes of Mount Yaedake, 453 metres high, on the border between Motobu and Nago, and the road to the summit is lined with blossom.

In recent years, more and more families in Okinawa have planted cherry trees in their gardens.

Spotting blossom on a drive or a stroll to Hyakuna Garan is one of the pleasures of this season in Okinawa, and one of the first signs that spring is on its way.

While the hikan-zakura are in flower, why not come to Okinawa, and to Hyakuna Garan?

We look forward to welcoming you, together with the beautiful blossom.