Cherry blossoms are back, but is Tokyo?
Japan’s famous petals are blooming, and for the first time in four years so are the associated parties, but not everything Covid-19 took away will return.
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People taking photos of the early cherry blossoms at Ueno Park in Tokyo on March 14, 2023.
PHOTO: AFP
Gearoid Reidy
Tokyoites are getting back into a pre-Covid-19 tradition.
This weekend sees the return of hanami, the cherry blossom viewing parties that are part of a tradition dating back to the Heian era of 1,200 years ago, before being cruelly interrupted by the pandemic.