Spring is almost here and one of the most stunning signs of the new season is the cherry blossom.
Although the beautiful light pink petals are usually linked with Japan, where a festival dedicated to them attracts millions of tourists, you can also see these lovely flowers in London.
So, if you can’t visit Japan for sakura season this year, taking a train to Greenwich Park in South East London will give you great photo opportunities.
Greenwich Park topped the list of the best places to see cherry blossom in the city, beating places like Regent’s Park and Kew Gardens. Time Out, Greenwich Park took the crown – beating the likes of Regent’s Park and Kew Gardens.
The tangled branches create a candy floss arch that makes every pic look like the backdrop of a Lawrence Alma-Tadema painting, the publication said about the blooming brilliant views.
Greenwich Park is worth a visit not only for its cherry blossom petals, but also its history. It’s the home of the Royal Observatory – where Greenwich Mean Time was established.
The National Maritime Museum is a three-minute walk from the park – and Greenwich Market and the Cutty Sark are definitely worth a visit.
Commenters on Tripadvisor have also left very positive reviews.
‘Beautiful skies and sakura tunnel,’ Elasong3 shared. ‘Great for picnics. Greenwich typically blooms a bit later than other areas like Regent’s Park.’
Although the UK will never replace Japan as the top destination for sakura, the journey to Greenwich Park is a lot quicker, compared to the 14 hours it takes on average to get to Kyoto from London.
And it might be worth staying in London if you want to see the flowers this spring, after a new warning was shared for those heading to Kyoto, Osaka or Nara for the pink flowers.
While Japan’s annual cherry blossom event brings in visitors around the world every March to April, this year things are likely to be different.
Usually the blooming of the pink sakura happens in late March – but in 2023, this appeared ten days earlier than predicted.
This early debut was not a fluke and experts predict this is likely to happen again this year.
According to historical documents from Kyoto, 2023 was tied for a record-early bloom, the earliest since records began in 1953.
But the early blossoms are not a good thing and indicate a response to global warming.
The season starts on the island of Kyushu, southwestern Japan, in March, when daily updates begin to track the sakura front as it moves north.
While normally the average tourist might plan a trip from the end of March to mid April, future travel may look different.
Current trends show the season moving up by 11 days.
The dramatic shift is expected to continue and future visitors may be seeing the sakura spectacle as early as February.
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