One of the first glimmers of spring is the appearance of this seasonal beverage that uses real cherry blossom petals and leaves.
cherry blossom (Page 2)
Nothing like making friends and enjoying the fleeting beauty of a Japanese spring together.
Real cherry blossoms wither after a week, but flowers on this plastic tree will last a very long time.
Famous bakeries from London and New York create limited edition cherry blossom cupcakes just for Japan.
Because there’s no better way to welcome spring than with a sweet serving of sakura and matcha.
Kittens and their paw prints will be blossoming at Tokyo Skytree for a limited time this spring.
It’s still in the middle of winter in Japan, but beer bottles and cans from Asahi are already dressing up for sakura-filled spring!
Because you might be too old to play with your food, but you’re not too old to play with your glasses.
It’s that time of year again, when the cold of winter fades away and gives birth to the beautiful pink and white hues of cherry blossoms contrasted against their trees’ elegant dark branches. It’s a season long identified with Japanese culture around the world.
However, news organizations in South Korea are declaring that this has gone on long enough and are calling for a concerted effort to let everyone know once and for all that cherry blossoms are theirs.
Cherry blossom time in Japan is all about appreciating nature and the transitive beauty of life, right? Wrong. It’s totally an excuse to stuff your face with delicious food during “cherry blossom viewing parties”, aka Japan’s über-picnics! Onigiri are usually a popular food to consume under those canopies of candy-pink petals, but cherry blossom-flavoured food and drinks are also unsurprisingly popular around this time of year.
Luckily, mega-popular chain Magnolia Bakery has a store in Japan, and they’re rolling out special cherry blossom cupcakes for spring!
As our readers may be well aware, we Japanese have a passion for the sakura, or cherry trees, turning it into a huge social event when they’re in bloom each spring, even though they last for only about a week. We’re also quite fond of capybaras, as you can tell from the way we delight in pampering them in hot spring baths, and also creating mascot characters out of them as well. Well, we’re right in the middle of sakura season in Tokyo now, and we’ve found a cute little picture that combines these two seemingly unrelated subjects in a delightfully unexpected way. Yes, straight from Ueno, one of the most famous sakura-viewing areas in Tokyo, we bring to you this lovely photo that has captured the hearts of Japanese netizens and gives renewed meaning to the Japanese expression, “hana yori dango.”
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Spring has arrived in Japan, and that can mean only one thing: Hanami, or cherry blossom viewing parties! But what is it about hanami, and those pretty pink petals in general for that matter, that manages to capture the hearts and minds of so many?
Let’s take a look at a handful of videos that capture the mood of hanami season perfectly and see if we can pinpoint exactly what it is that makes the season so special!
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Japanese ramen restaurants under pressure from new yen banknotes
New private rooms on Tokaido Shinkansen change the way we travel from Tokyo to Kyoto
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Secret Kitchen bento serves Japanese flowers, birds, wind and moon in a box, but is it worth it?
Sakura tree falls on man at Sannenzaka near Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto 【Breaking News】
French Fries Bread in Tokyo’s Shibuya becomes a hit on social media
We tried Korea’s way-too-big King Tonkatsu Burger at Lotteria 【Taste Test】
Studio Ghibli releases new action figures featuring Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind characters
Non-ramen Ramen Restaurant Stars: The quest begins at Tokyo’s Oreryu Shio
Japanese company starts project to restore Nakagin Capsules to capsule hotel
Weekly
- McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
All-you-can-drink Starbucks and amazing views part of Tokyo’s new 170 meter-high sky lounge
More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month
Starbucks reopens at Shibuya Scramble Crossing with new look and design concept
Disney princesses get official manga makeovers for Manga Princess Cafe opening in Tokyo- Studio Ghibli releases new action figures featuring Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind characters
Beautiful new Final Fantasy T-shirt collection on the way from Uniqlo【Photos】
Is the new Shinkansen Train Desk ticket worth it?
Studio Ghibli glasses cases let anime characters keep an eye on your spectacles- French Fries Bread in Tokyo’s Shibuya becomes a hit on social media
Monthly
- McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Studio Ghibli releases Kiki’s Delivery Service chocolate cake pouches in Japan
New definition of “Japanese whiskey” goes into effect to prevent fakes from fooling overseas buyers
Our Japanese reporter visits Costco in the U.S., finds super American and very Japanese things
Studio Ghibli unveils Mother’s Day gift set that captures the love in My Neighbour Totoro
Domino’s Japan now sells…pizza ears?
New Japanese KitKat flavour stars Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty- All-you-can-drink Starbucks and amazing views part of Tokyo’s new 170 meter-high sky lounge
- More foreign tourists than ever before in history visited Japan last month
New Pokémon cakes let you eat your way through Pikachu and all the Eevee evolutions
Yearly
Sales of Japan’s most convenient train ticket/shopping payment cards suspended indefinitely- McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Sold-out Studio Ghibli desktop humidifiers are back so Totoro can help you through the dry season
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Doraemon found buried at sea as scene from 1993 anime becomes real life【Photos】
Tokyo’s most famous Starbucks is closed
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
We asked a Uniqlo employee what four things we should buy and their suggestions didn’t disappoint
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
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French Fries Bread in Tokyo’s Shibuya becomes a hit on social media
We tried Korea’s way-too-big King Tonkatsu Burger at Lotteria 【Taste Test】
Studio Ghibli releases new action figures featuring Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind characters
Non-ramen Ramen Restaurant Stars: The quest begins at Tokyo’s Oreryu Shio
Japanese company starts project to restore Nakagin Capsules to capsule hotel
McDonald’s Japan releases a pancake pie for new retro kissaten coffeeshop series
Beautiful Ghibli sealing wax kits let you create accessories and elegant letter decorations【Pics】
We try out “Chan Ramen”, an underground type of ramen popular in the ramen community
Super Nintendo World expansion gets delayed for several months at Universal Studios Japan
Better than Apple EarPods? Our 100 yen shop earphone showdown finds a true champion
McDonald’s creates a dream Japanese bento for April Fools’ Day
Even easier than instant ramen, microwavable oden gives you Japanese winter comfort food ASAP
We try epic pancakes at Japanese coffeehouse chain Doutor
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