(28 Mar 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tokyo, Japan – 28 March 2025
1. Monks sat behind cherry blossoms
2. People sat under blossoms
3. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Natsuno Kano, 50-year-old Japanese, who has been living in New York for 20 years:
++PART OVERLAID BY SHOTS 2 & 4++
"I wanted come to see the cherry blossoms for the first time in 19 or 20 years. I had some other appointments but I arranged them so that I can be in Japan when it is full bloom."
4. Various of people looking at blossoms
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Anna Agafonova, Russian tourist from New York:
++PART OVERLAID BY SHOT 4 & 6++
"I think for us, this (cherry blossom) is like the symbol of Japan in some way. And we specifically are into anime culture. That’s why, we always saw these (anime) episodes with cherry blossoms, sightseeing, and this has always been our dream to come and to see that in person."
6. Various of cherry blossoms
7. Boat on river
8. Chiyoda City Tourism Association’s Executive Director, Shiho Ikeda gesturing at blossoms
9. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Shiho Ikeda, Executive Director at Chiyoda City Tourism Association:
++PART OVERLAID BY SHOT 10++
"The biggest issue is the manner of how to ‘o-hanami.’ For Japanese people, knowing how to appreciate the flowers is rooted in the culture so they fully understand not to touch the flowers. But possibly because of the excitement, there have been several witnesses of overseas visitors touching the flowers and we have been asking them not to whenever spotted. In order to have the beautiful flower to be enjoyed by many people, we are asking people to refrain from touching and climbing to get pictures from a high spot."
10. Various of blossoms
STORYLINE:
Tourists and local residents gathered on Friday at Tokyo’s hot spots for viewing Japan’s famed cherry blossoms as the powder-pink flowers approach full bloom.
Some Japanese have laid down picnic mats under the cherry trees to hold ‘hanami’ or cherry blossom viewing parties.
Tourists have also arrived in Japan to experience the first blooming of the country’s favourite flower.
Anna Agafonova, a tourist from New York who travelled together with her husband to Japan for the first time, described it as "a dream to come and see it in person."
Japan’s Meteorological Agency confirmed the first blooming of cherry blossoms on Monday, declaring the official start of the festive season in the Japanese capital.
Cherry blossoms, or “sakura,” usually reach their peak in late March to early April, just as the country celebrates the start of the new school and business year.
Shiho Ikeda, the executive director at Chiyoda City Tourism Association which helps to protect the trees, said on Friday that she wanted to remind tourists that touching the flowers is prohibited.
For Japanese people, knowing how to appreciate the flowers is rooted in culture.
According to local weather forecasters, the cherry blossoms are expected be in full bloom this weekend.
AP Video shot by Ayaka McGill and Mayuko Ono
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