One man's push to remake Japan's cherry blossom season

Tanaka, manager of the Flower Association of Japan, posing for a photo underneath blooming cherry trees at a farm in Yuki, northeastern Ibaraki prefecture. Photos: Philip Fong/AFP

Japan's famed cherry blossom season blankets the country in the delicate white flowers of the prized and popular "somei-yoshino" tree, delighting residents and visitors alike. But some want change.

The season produces a nationwide frenzy, as forecasters compete to declare when full bloom will arrive, and Japanese unfurl picnic blankets for sometimes raucous flower-viewing parties – at least in pre-pandemic times.