Japanese hoping to see quiet autumn after busy start of new Imperial era

September 29, 2019

Japanese hoping to see quiet autumn after busy start of new Imperial era

The "sakura" cherry blossom tree is one of the most beloved flowering trees in Japan. About 400 to 500 species of sakura trees are known, and almost all of them bloom in spring, from late March to early May, northward up on the Japanese Archipelago.
It is known that a few of them bloom toward late autumn, but spring flowering trees also sometimes bloom in autumn, depending on the weather condition and other factors. These ones are called October sakura or November sakura trees.
The phenomenon is believed to be unseasonal flowering, but some foresters say this is a kind of the reversion to the origin, or genetic throwback.
The origins of sakura trees seen in Japan, which came from the southern part of Asia, mainly the Himalayan area, had been blooming in autumn, but while these species spread to colder regions, to China and to Japan, they obtained the nature of dormancy to overwinter by shedding leaves.
In September this year, strong winds often blew in some parts of Japan and there were warm days, too. These obviously let the sakura trees believe that spring has come for them to bloom.
Japan's current Imperial era of Reiwa, which means "beautiful peace," was declared on April 1. This coincided with the blooming of sakura trees in most parts of Japan. Then, the Reiwa era began a month after, on the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito.
Greeting the start of the new Imperial era, many Japanese hoped that the coming period will be a peaceful one, unlike the just finished Heisei era, which was filled with a host of big natural disasters and serious incidents. But Japanese saw not a few serious accidents and incidents occur in the first months of the new era.
In the two months from August to September, as many as four powerful typhoons came close to or landed on the Japanese Archipelago, playing havoc with widely scattered areas of Japan.
Japan plans to hold a series of events or ceremonies in October in celebration of the Emperor's enthronement.
"The sakura flowers I just saw look like celebrating the happy occasion once again," said my wife.
"It's me. I found some sakura trees bloom when I drove up on the approach road back to our town," she said. "I haven't seen the trees right there bloom in autumn so far."
The sakura flowers are tiny and admirable, but purely white. The flowers appear to be ushering in quiet days in the autumnal air for the new Imperial era.