A coloring page of cherry blossoms (sakura), the flower that defines spring in Japan. Petals of pale pink dance in the breeze — a scene close to every Japanese heart. Enjoy coloring at your own pace, as if strolling beneath the blossoms at a hanami picnic.
🗣 Conversation Starters — for care activities and family time
“Have you ever seen cherry blossoms in full bloom? Where was it?”
“Have you ever had a picnic under a blossoming tree?”
“What is your favorite spring flower, besides cherry blossoms?”
How long have the Japanese loved cherry blossoms?
Cherry blossoms have been cherished in Japan since the Nara period, about 1,300 years ago. At first, “flower” in poetry meant the plum blossom, but by the Heian period the sakura had become the “king of flowers.” The Kokin Wakashu poetry anthology (905 AD) contains about 70 poems on cherry blossoms.
How many kinds of cherry trees are there in Japan?
Japan is said to have about 600 varieties of cherry trees. The most widely planted is the Somei-Yoshino, created in the Somei district of Tokyo during the Meiji era. Others include mountain cherries, weeping cherries, and double-flowered varieties, each with its own color and bloom time.
When did hanami (flower viewing) begin?
Hanami traces back to plum-viewing parties held by aristocrats in the Nara period. Viewing cherry blossoms spread to the common people in the Edo period, when the shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune planted famous sakura spots around Edo and picnicking under the blossoms took root as a beloved custom.
