Spectators in Tokyo gathered to take photos and revel in the beauty of the cherry blossom season that reached its full bloom in Japan earlier this month. Tourists and residents stroll through the elegant branches of Sakura to gaze at the enchanting pink and white flowers of the bloom. While Japan has been synonymous with the spectacle of cherry blossom, take a look at some of the famous spots in other countries as well as India.

Denmark

Cherry blossoms are popular in Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark. The city celebrates a Sakura Festival at the waterfront Langelinie Park each year in April, usually over the third weekend. As many as 200 powder-pink cherry blossom trees that were donated by the Japanese Honorary Consul of Denmark on the 200th anniversary of HC Andersen’s birthday in 2005 can also be seen by a boat on a city canal tour. The festival is a symbol of Japanese culture in Denmark.

USA

To mark the growing friendship between the United States and Japan and the ongoing close relations between the two countries, Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo City gifted around 3,000 trees Japanese cherry trees to the city of Washington. National Cheery Blossom Festival is celebrated in Washington DC in spring to commemorate the gesture. The pretty Sakura flowers can be seen from the middle of March to April. New York is also famous for its mid-April cherry blossoms bloom. The bloom comes some twenty days later in New England and a week to two weeks later in states like Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas.

Canada

A few places in Canada are quite famous for cherry blossoms just like they are in Japan. The most popular spots for the stunning viewing of cherry blossoms in Canada are British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. The blossoms bloom usually in late March to early May in British Columbia and in late April to early May in Ontaria and Quebec. Cities like Vancouver, Toronto, and Victoria also have cherry blossom festivals. In Vancouver as well, the Japanese had gifted cherry blossom trees in the early 1930s as a gesture to the Japanese Canadians who served in World War I.

France

The hub of style and fashion, Paris is also known for its bewitching sight of cherry blossoms in the spring that bloom in late March to early April. While Sakura is found in several regions of France, Paris stands out with its Eiffel Tower standing stall amid the carpet of pink petals beneath and the bloom in Parc de Sceaux in Sceaux, making the capital city of France the ultimate spot to get captivated in the beauty of the blossoms.

Singapore

While Singapore doesn’t have the Japanese sakura trees, it has its version of cherry blossom called the trumpet flowers. These too have pink and white blooms which usually come alive after hot and dry weather and heavy rain in March and April and also in August and September. These blooms are grown on Tabebuia rosea trees that are part of the begonia family and have been planted across the island for shade from the sun. Sakura Matsuri Festival is held at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore during March and April.

South Korea

South Korea’s cherry blossom is quite famous for its magical bloom across the country. It usually comes after the winter in mid-March to early April. The blossom is first seen on Jeju Island, Jinhae, Seoul, Chuncheon Province, and Gyeongju.

Sweden

Cheery blossom season in Sweden usually arrives in April and lasts till early May during which a one-day celebration called Cherry Blossom Day at Kungstradgarden (King’s Garden) is hosted for the visitors to enjoy live music, culture workshops and martial arts shows. The trees have a Japanese connection as these were gifted to Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf in 1998 by Japan and were planted in Kungstradgarden in Stockholm.

India

Several Himalayan states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, as well as Nagaland, Manipur, and Meghalaya have an abundance of cherry blossom trees. In Jammu and Kashmir, the best spots are in Gulmarg, Srinagar, Pahalgam, Baramulla, and Shopian where the bloom comes in March and April. In Himachal Pradesh, cherry blossoms come in March and the best place to witness the beauty is in Shimla’s Mashobra village. In Uttarakhand’s valley of Harshil, the blossom comes in March and April, between October and November in Nagaland and Meghalaya’s Shillong, and picturesque hills of Mao in Manipur’s Senapati district. In 2022, Manipur scientists found a new plant species of cherry blossom and named it Prunus dinabandhuana after the contributions of scientist Dr Dinabandhu Sahoo, who is credited for his over eight-year-long efforts to make cherry blossom available in northeastern states.