Many people were waiting for this festival in March. Attraction canceled
At the turn of February and March, many trips and flights are canceled. Some interesting attractions are also canceled for reasons other than the conflict in the Middle East. You have to forget about the cherry blossoms in Tokyo.
We announced the sad news at the beginning of February. Now that the festival is theoretically getting closer, it is worth reminding once again – the large, well-known cherry blossom event in Japan will not take place. Although this is an iconic event and attracted thousands of tourists every year, now it will not be possible to celebrate everywhere.
Cherry blossom festival canceled
Most notably, a festival near Tokyo in Fujiyoshida was canceled. Other smaller Japanese municipalities react similarly. They all have the same motives – they don’t want crowds of foreign guests and noise.
The Cherry Blossom Festival was celebrated grandly at Arakurayama Sengen Park in Yamanash Prefecture. What is impressive there is not only the trees with pink flowers that appear at the turn of March and April, but also the views of Mount Fuji and the five-story pagoda – a traditional Buddhist religious tower. The place has gained so much popularity on social media that every year more and more people want to see it with their own eyes. However, this creates problems for residents.
Residents of Japan versus tourists
The inhabitants of Japan, although they are strongly associated with the hanami ritual – which involves watching blooming flowers and admiring the first signs of spring – prefer to do it in an intimate atmosphere. They usually gather in parks and gardens, organizing picnics under pink flowered trees. Such a ritual is even cultivated in some places in Warsaw. This custom dates back to the 8th century and was initially associated with local elites. Today, almost anyone can come to this place to feel the Japanese atmosphere. However, an excessive number of tourists disturbs order.
The city authorities claim that the Arakurayama Sengen park is visited by over 10,000 people in spring. people per day during peak hours, which creates problems, among others: traffic jams and heavy litter in the area. The canceled festival near Tokyo is intended to be an expression of opposition and an expression of concern for the residents. It has also not been announced whether the event will return in 2027.
The Japanese are prepared for an influx of tourists in March anyway, because they know that many will come despite the canceled event. To limit the chaos, plans were made to increase the number of cleaning workers, create temporary parking lots and install portable toilets. It must be remembered that the cherry blossom in Japan, even without the festival, will remain one of the most important symbols of this country.
