A Global Rite of Spring

Travel Blog  •  Julia Ross  •  03.27.09 | 12:31 PM ET

Ah, springtime in the nation’s capital.  I saw my first cherry blossom of the season near the Washington National Cathedral a couple weeks ago, and it immediately lifted my will-winter-never-end mood.  The blossoms are right on schedule here—peak period is expected to be April 1-4—but over in Tokyo, the much admired sakura are early for the fourth year in a row, prompting hand-wringing about the effects of global warming.  According to the Telegraph, Japan’s national “blossoming line”—the latitude at which the trees start to flower—has shifted 125 miles north over the last 40 years. Kind of alarming.

If you missed the window in Tokyo, I’d recommend a visit to Washington’s National Arboretum instead of the Tidal Basin (way too crowded) or a virtual viewing via this web cam.  Of course, there are plenty of pink wonderlands unfolding beyond the Beltway.  Check out the cherry blossom festivals in San Francisco, Philadelphia or Brooklyn.  And don’t forget the sake.

Tags: Eco Travel, Festivals, Asia, Japan, Tokyo, North America, United States, Washington, D.C., Shrinking Planet

Julia Ross is a Washington, DC-based writer and frequent contributor to World Hum. She has lived in China and Taiwan, where she was a Fulbright scholar and Mandarin student. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Time, Christian Science Monitor, Plenty and other publications. Her essay, Six Degrees of Vietnam, was shortlisted for "The Best American Travel Writing 2009."


2 Comments for A Global Rite of Spring

Grizzly Bear Mom 03.27.09 | 5:50 PM ET

Question: I understand that the Japanese stole everything that wasn’t nailed down when they ruled Korea, including womens’ virture and trees.  Are the trees to which you are refering actually Korean Cherry trees?

Julia Ross 03.27.09 | 6:38 PM ET

As far as I know, cherry trees are indigenous to both Japan and Korea. The trees around the Tidal Basin in Washington were a gift from Japan in 1912.

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