Cherry Blossom Tourism Makes Japan's Economy Bloom — huffingtonpost.com

In Japan this spring, the color of money is pink. Thanks to the weak yen, Japan is suddenly affordable. Visitors from Asia and elsewhere are coming in record numbers to experience that most iconic of Japanese events, cherry blossom season. Japan's favorite nationwide party runs from mid-March until May 10th. Tokyo should be in full bloom around April 1st, through the hanami (blossom viewing) parties get going several days in advance. Northern cities like Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture see the best blooms during the last week of April. Sapporo, sometime in May. (Kyoto and Osaka are usually a week to 10 days earlier than Tokyo.)

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