Petals, Picnics, and Peacefulness

Cherry Blossoms in Bloom: Discovering Hanami in Seattle Southside

With the arrival of spring comes a flurry of cherry blossoms erupting across the landscape. While nobody can say for certain when exactly the blooms will first make their appearance, there's no mistaking it once they finally blossom.

Did you know there's a whole national tradition surrounding the arrival of these beauties? Hanami, or cherry blossom viewing, is a Japanese custom that celebrates the arrival of spring. With a rich history and cultural significance that dates back over a thousand years, Hanami celebrates the transient beauty of cherry blossoms--known in Japanese as sakura. In Seattle Southside, we're lucky to be graced with so many options for cherry blossom viewing that the custom feels right at home here.

When is Cherry Blossom Season
Hanami History
How To Hanami
Cherry Blossom Inspired Eats
How to Identify Different Blossoms

When is Cherry Blossom Season in Seattle?

Cherry blossoms are notoriously fickle and different varieties bloom at different points. But you can start to see blooms as early as the beginning of March, if the weather is warm enough. Peak blossom-viewing time usually takes place between mid-March and early April.

Every year is a little bit different, though. In 2023, the cherry blossoms came a bit late, with the peak not starting until the first week of April. As we get closer to the expected bloom time, University of Washington arborists will provide predictions on when the peak bloom will happen this season.

Hanami History

Cherry blossoms have long been a symbol of the fragile nature of life in Japanese culture--a concept closely tied to Buddhist influences. The blossoms' brief, brilliant blooming period is often seen as a metaphor for the fleeting beauty of youth and the ephemeral nature of existence.


Early Origins

The tradition of hanami translates to any place where you can view cherry blossoms, and it goes well beyond Japan. The tradition is believed to have originated during the Nara Period (710–794 CE). Initially, it was plum blossoms (ume) that were admired, but by the Heian Period (794–1185 CE), cherry blossoms came to attract more attention. The Heian court nobles of Japan would hold elaborate outdoor feasts under the blooming sakura trees, celebrating with sake and food. These gatherings were occasions for writing and reciting poetry that reflected the natural beauty of the blossoms.While hanami was initially a pastime of the elite, cherry blossom viewing gradually became popular among the common people during the Edo Period (1603–1868 CE). It was during this time that many of today's well-known sakura viewing spots were cultivated across Japan.


Beauty for the Masses

Today, people in Japan celebrate hanami by having outdoor parties under cherry trees in bloom. Parks are filled with thousands of people who enjoy food, drinks, and the company of friends and family as they appreciate the fleeting beauty of the sakura. The nation of Japan has made gifts of their flowering cherry trees to cities around the world as a sign of friendship, famously including Washington D.C., and many of the trees around the Seattle area come from a gift of 1,000 sakura trees made in 1976 by then-Japanese Prime Minister Take Miki.

While hanami may not be quite as popular here in the United States as it is in Japan, people are still drawn to the beauty of cherry blossom trees, especially in places with high concentrations of the trees, like Angle Lake Park here in Seattle Southside and the University of Washington campus.

How To Hanami

Anyone can celebrate the beauty of Hanami and create their own traditions during cherry blossom season!


Petals & A Picnic

Put together a group of friends or family and get ready to enjoy the springtime vibes by putting together a picnic, complete with a comfy blanket to relax on. While a bento box might be the traditional choice, don't feel restricted by cuisine when putting together your hanami picnic. Pack whatever food sounds tasty, and don't forget to bring all the utensils you'll need to enjoy your food.

We also recommend bringing a thermos full of warm tea just in case there's still a chill in the air, plus sipping green tea under the trees is very traditional. It's considered very good luck if a blossom petal falls into your cup! And while sipping sake under the blossoms is also traditional, remember that drinking alcoholic beverages outside of sanctioned areas is against the law, so it's much safer to go with green tea.


Provisions Nearby

Don't want to make your own picnic? Grab food to-go from a nearby restaurant, or stop by Marina Mercantile to put together a charcuterie picnic set that's perfectly suited for eating beneath the blossoms. If you're planning to head to Angle Lake Park for the beautiful blooms there, nearby Masae's Teriyaki has teriyaki, udon, and katsu that are great to take to the park as your picnic. Speaking of parks, you'll need to pick a spot to have your hanami picnic.


Park Recommendations

There are lots of great options around Seattle Southside for checking out the cherry blossoms, including: Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden, PowellsWood, and our personal favorite, Angle Lake Park, which coincidentally offers great planespotting and, views of Mt. Rainier (when the mountain's out, of course).

Hanami Do's and Don'ts

Here are some quick hanami do's and don'ts to make your picnic picture perfect:

  • DO bring a bag for garbage and clean up after your picnic. After all, hanami is a celebration of the beauty of nature, so let's do our best to protect it!
  • DON'T try to pick branches or blossoms off of trees. While you can pick up blossoms that have fallen to the ground, cherry trees can be very fragile and are easily damaged.
  • DO take lots of pictures to capture the transient beauty that's only on display for a few weeks out of the year.
  • DON'T climb the cherry trees or shake the branches to make petals fall intentionally.
  • DO try to time your pictures with the wind for that perfect petal-blown look!

Poetic License


So what else can you do while you picnic and enjoy the petals? Well, if you want to go the traditional route, you can bring pencils and paper and compose poems with your friends. One traditional Japanese poetic form called Renga is perfect for a group!

Renga Rules

Renga, a kind of linked verse, is written in stanzas that alternate between A: three lines in 5-7-5 syllable format (much like a haiku) and B: two lines with 7 syllables each. Writers take turns creating stanzas in a round-robin style to create a collaborative poem.

  1. Person 1 begins by writing a haiku (3 lines of verse in a 5-7-5 syllable format). This is the 1st stanza.
  2. Person 2, inspired by person 1, writes 2 new lines of verse (7 syllables each). 2nd stanza.
  3. Person 3 (back to person 1), writes haiku in "response" or inspired by the first two writers. 3rd stanza.
  4. Continue alternating writers for as many people as you have or until you feel like your masterpiece is complete!

Cherry Blossom Inspired Eats

Did you know you can even eat cherry blossoms? If you want to make your hanami picnic even more cherry-blossom connected, try making sakura onigiri or sakura tea. Use preserved cherry blossoms, which you can purchase online, instead of fresh ones, as the preserved cherry blossoms use plum vinegar and salt to enhance and intensify the natural flavor of the blossoms.


Cherry Blossom Tea

  • 2-3 preserved cherry blossoms per cup of tea
  • Hot filtered water
  • You'll also need: Kettle or thermos
  • Spoon
  • Bowl
  • Teacup

    Rinse off the salt by placing the flowers in a bowl of warm (but not hot!) filtered water for about five minutes. Fish out the flowers with a spoon and place them in your cup, retaining the salt water for later possible use.

    Boil water in your kettle, then let it cool for about 2 minutes. You're aiming for about 160 degrees farenheit, plenty hot to make your tea but not too hot. Allow to steep for five minutes, then enjoy, adding small amounts of the retained salt water to taste.

Cherry Blossom Onigiri

  • 3/4 cup shortgrain rice
  • 12 preserved cherry blossoms
  • 2 tsp black sesame seeds
  • kosher flake salt
  • Nori (optional)
  • You'll also need:A rice cooker (optional)
  • A strainer or sieve
  • A bowl
  • A rice paddle

1. Rinse your rice with cold water until the water nearly runs clear, then allow to soak in cold water for 30 minutes.

2. While your rice is soaking, allow your cherry blossoms to soak in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 5 minutes. Then take the six prettiest-looking blossoms and set them aside gently to be used as garnish later. Gather up the remaining blossoms, plus any loose petals, and squeeze any excess water from them by hand, then chop them finely with a knife.

3. Drain the rice completely after 30 minutes has passed, then place in your rice cooker or pot and add 1 cup of water, plus the chopped cherry blossoms.

4. Cook the rice according to manufacturer's directions. This can also be done on stovetop, but the rice cooker is much easier. Once the rice is cooked, add the sesame seeds and use a rice paddle to fluff the rice and mix in the seeds.

5. Divide the rice into six roughly even portions. With clean, damp hands, dip two fingers into your kosher flake salt and rub the salt across your hands to prevent the rice from sticking. Then, using your hands, shape the onigiri into the customary triangular shape.

6. Garnish by pressing in one of the retained whole blossoms. Optionally, you can add a small strip of nori on one side as additional garnish.

7. Serve warm or bring it along on your picnic!

Seattle Cherry Blossoms Are A Sight to Behold

How to Identify Different Blossoms

It can be difficult to tell different cherry trees apart, or to tell cherry trees from other early blossoming trees. Plum trees tend to bloom earlier in the spring, or even in mid to late winter. While cherry blossoms usually have a small notch at the end of each petal, making them look almost heart-shaped, plum blossoms are rounded. Cherry tree bark is usually light and features prominent dark horizontal lines known as lenticels, while plum tree bark is overall darker in color and does not have any horizontal lines. Finally, while cherry blossoms often bloom in clusters along a branch, and may have a small stem that connects the flower to the branch, plum blossoms usually bloom individually, emerging directly from the branches.

If you're pretty sure you have a cherry tree but aren't sure what kind of cherry tree you are looking at, here are some of the common varieties.

Yoshino Cherry

These 5-petaled blooms usually do not have their fresh green leaves appear until late in the season, and are some of the most common variety of cherry tree, both in Japan and abroad. You can find some of these trees at Angle Lake Park.

Shogetsu Cherry

Shogetsu cherry trees are a relatively late blooming variety of yaezakura with large white blossoms of about 20-30 petals and fresh green leaves. You can find these trees at Angle Lake Park in Seattle Southside. Yaezakura are a type of cherry blossom tree with more than five petals, and are beloved for their copious blooms.

References and Further Reading

History of Hanami: The origins of Hanami. The Japan Experience. https://www.japan-experience.com/plan-your-trip/to-know/understanding-japan/the-origins-of-hanami

For more details on identifying different varieties of cherry trees: Cherry Tree Varieties. Japan-guide.com. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2011_species.html

Wondering Where to go to see the Cherry Blossoms in Seattle?

Learn More
Each Spring, visitors want to know where they can view Japanese Cherry Trees (also known as sakura) for hanami (cherry blossom viewing and picnicking).

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