What flower is most closely associated with Japan's hanami festivals?

The flower most closely associated with Japan's hanami festivals is the cherry blossom, or sakura. Hanami literally means flower viewing, but in modern Japan it generally means gathering beneath flowering cherry trees to admire the brief spring display.

The tradition has a long history. During Japan's Nara period, people initially admired plum blossoms, influenced partly by Chinese customs. By the Heian period, cherry blossoms had become the main focus of elite flower-viewing parties, and sakura gained powerful associations with beauty, renewal, and the fleeting nature of life. The custom later spread from court society to samurai communities and ordinary townspeople.

Another common mix-up is assuming that every hanami event features one identical cherry species. Many varieties are planted, but the Yoshino cherry is especially important in modern urban celebrations. People commonly picnic, eat bento and dango, drink sake, and sometimes attend nighttime yozakura events. Because the blossoms last only briefly, forecasts track the annual cherry-blossom front as it moves northward through Japan.