It's sakura season here in Taiwan and the blossoms are currently blooming all over the country! In my last post about the Taiwan Cherry Blossoms (山櫻花) I posted about a type of cherry blossom that is endemic to Taiwan. Today I'm going to post about an imported variety of cherry blossom that comes from Japan and is probably the much more popular version.

Taiwan has a few different types of cherry blossoms which bloom between February and April every year - The type of sakura I'm posting about today are known as "Yoshino Cherries" (吉野櫻) and are probably the most well-loved of all the species of cherry blossoms in Taiwan.

During this time of the year, it is normal to see your Taiwanese friends posting photos on social media from Japan where they go to specifically see the blossoms while others visit hot spots like Alishan (阿里山), Yangming Mountain (陽明山), Wuling Farm (武陵農場) and Danshui's Tian-Yuan Temple (天元宮) to see them taking part in a tradition known as "flower viewing" (花見).

As spring rolls around in Taiwan we are lucky to have a few different types of cherry blossoms, but also Peach Blossoms (桃花), Tung Blossoms (油桐花) and Taiwan's national flower the Plum Blossom (梅花) all of which create a lot of tourism for places where the blossoms are growing for this type of flower viewing.

Each type of blossom has a specific purpose - Tung Blossoms are known as "Hakka flowers" and are said to represent Hakka culture while plum blossoms are the "official" flower of Taiwan and it is common to see them depicted on all sorts of government emblems as well as on the New Taiwan Dollar, the currency of Taiwan.

Cherry blossoms on the other hand are important to Taiwan not only because of their beauty but because of Taiwan's close relationship with Japan and Japanese culture. The culture of "Hanami" (花見) which is a traditional Japanese custom of flower viewing and respecting their beauty is an activity that is just as popular in Taiwan with people of all ages as it is in Japan. This is why people travel all around the country and in some cases even travel to Japan to take part in a custom that is shared and widely respected by people in both nations.

There are debates as to the origin of the Yoshino Cherry, but they are believed to have originated in the Yoshino district (吉野郡) of Nara which is where they get their name. The trees are mostly ornamental and are loved for their fragrant light-pink blossoms and the manageable size of the tree.

In Japan, the trees were thought to represent clouds and thus represented the impermanent nature of life, a Buddhist concept known in Japan as "Mono no Aware" (物の哀れ) which is translated as "an empathy towards things." This concept is a reflection of the Japanese people's awareness for the reality of life and how all things, even beautiful things will eventually come to an end.

The trees started to be imported to Taiwan during the Japanese-colonial period between 1895-1945 and from that time on the Japanese appreciation of cherry blossoms was appropriated as part of Taiwan's cultural heritage. Taiwan and Japan share a lot of cultural similarities due to the colonial period and even though that period ended over 70 years ago and isn't looked upon as an entirely positive experience, the people of Taiwan and Japan share a lot of respect for each other and Taiwan's development wouldn't have been so successful if it weren't for Japan's influence.

That appreciation was put on display after the devastating 2011 Tohuku earthquake (東北地方太平洋沖地震) where Taiwan became the country which donated the most amount of money and resources to help those affected by the earthquake and the tsunami that followed. The generosity of the Taiwanese people didn't go unnoticed and as part of their appreciation, Japan took out a full page ad in Taiwan's UDN newspaper thanking the people of the country for their solidarity and generosity during such a devastating experience.

It was fitting that the ad displayed not only the Japanese people's gratitude for their friend and neighbour but also a cherry blossom which displayed the closeness and solidarity of the two cultures.

The sakura shots I'm posting today were all taken on Yangming Mountain in Taipei and I focused on the blossoms rather than landscapes. In technical terms most of the shots were taken with an aperture of f/2.8 meaning that the subject will be in focus while the backgrounds will be blurred causing an effect photographers refer to as "bokeh" and is only really achievable with certain types of lenses.

I thought that as I had posted last year landscape shots of these sakura at Tian-Yuan Temple that this year I would instead focus on the cherry blossoms themselves and let people enjoy the photos in a different way.

If you are in Taiwan or Japan right now, it is the best time of the year to view these blossoms. If you have time make sure to use it to get out and see them. The people at Round Taiwan Round published an excellent guide of where people can see them, so check it out and enjoy one of Taiwan's most beautiful flower seasons!

If you have any questions or comments feel free to comment below or get in touch with me in the contact section below!

Gallery / Flickr (High Res Shots)

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Lunar New Year goes by quite a few names in both Chinese and in English - one of the most popular and probably the one I use most often is the “Spring Festival” (春節) and when it comes, it is supposed to be a lot like Groundhog Day at home by ushering in Spring and more importantly warmer weather. Unfortunately for those of us living in the north of Taiwan, that is rarely ever the case. If there was a groundhog in Taiwan, it'd clearly always retreat back to its burrow. The winters in northern Taiwan are typically cold, rainy and generally dreary with months of grey skies - although this year hasn't been as bad as some of the most recent we've had to endure.

One of the clearest indications that Spring has really arrived in Taiwan is when the cherry blossoms (sakura) on trees throughout the country start to bloom. In areas where these cherry blossoms are abundant, you'll also find abundance in crowds rushing to see them finally getting a chance to get out of the house and enjoy a nice day.

Of all the hot spots for sakura viewing, Tian-Yuan Temple (天元宮) is one of the most popular and is in the closest proximity for residents of Taiwan’s capital city. When the cherry blossoms at the temple start to bloom, shuttle buses will surely be ready to transport thousands of people per day to the temple from Danshui’s MRT station making a visit to the temple an exercise in convenience and patience as well.

Interestingly enough, there are Chinese websites that track the progress of growth for the cherry blossoms at the temple and when the percentage gets high enough, you'll have massive crowds of people rushing to get a view. As of yesterday, the sakura were currently around 50-60% in bloom.

The 200 meter tall “Temple of Heaven” pagoda paired with the cherry blossoms that surround it on all sides and on the mountain behind it is what separates this area from all the other sakura viewing spots around the country. The temple has five floors and each floor has a giant shrine dedicated to different Taoist gods. The temple is open year-round but it usually enjoys the most visitors between late February and April when the sakura are in bloom.

I feel like the pagoda paired with the sakura and the mountains gives an especially cool experience for foreign tourists and expats like myself who visit as all of these things together give off a very "Asia-esque" feeling and is something you don't always get when you're walking around the busy streets of Taipei.

The Sakura found at Tian-Yuan temple are known as Yoshino Cherries (吉野櫻) and while the origin of the species is under dispute, we know that the trees started to be cultivated in Japan during the Edo Period (1603-1867) and were brought to Taiwan by the Japanese in the 20th Century.

Taiwanese people's love for Sakura blossoms is often considered to be a remnant of the Japanese colonial period on the island when Japanese culture and education were forced on the people of the island. The period of Japanese rule on the island certainly had its negative aspects, but while the they were here, they also did a lot to develop the infrastructure of the island and without Japan, the economic miracle that took place in Taiwan likely wouldn't have been possible. Of all the countries in Asia that experienced periods of Japanese rule, the Taiwanese seem to be the least bitter about it and the people here embraced parts of Japanese culture and cuisine and integrated it into part of the Taiwanese identity we see today.

Young Taiwanese men enjoying the cherry blossoms.

Taiwanese people continue to hold Japanese culture in high regard while there are no formal relations between Taiwan and Japan, the two countries are mutually respectful and often work together. In the aftermath of the devastating 2011 Tohoku earthquake for example, the Taiwanese people proudly stood up and donated 20 billion Yen ($165 Million US) to the relief efforts which was astonishing considering the population of Taiwan compared to all the other nations who donated. Every year on March 11th (earlier this week) the Japanese parliament remembers to thank the generosity of their Taiwanese friends and Japanese people all over the country reflect on what Taiwan did for them in their time of need and express their gratitude.

Respect for Japanese culture may be one reason why Taiwanese love sakura so much, but I would also point out that among all the countries I've visited in the world, none have had the appreciation and love of flowers that you see here with the Taiwanese people. Taiwan is a fertile land with fruit, flowers and vegetables growing all over the place. When there are flowers to be seen, you can be sure to see crowds of people enjoying the beauty of nature.

The unfortunate thing about cherry blossoms is that their blossoming period only lasts a little over month each year. Therefore, if you want to enjoy their beauty, you're going to have to suck it up and put up crowds of people. If you are planning on going to Tian-Yuan temple to see the sakura, you still have a week or two to see them, but if you choose to do so on the weekend, be sure to plan it as a day trip as you'll be waiting in line for shuttle buses to the temple and back to Danshui MRT station. The trip is highly worth it though, so if you have time in the next week or two, make sure to visit Tian-Yuan temple!

Getting to Tian Yuan Temple

Getting to the temple is easy, if you're driving, just follow the map.

If you're relying on public transportation (which is highly recommended due to traffic jams on the mountain) just take the MRT to Danshui Station (淡水捷運站) and across the street from the station there are bus stops where you will likely see lines of people waiting for the shuttle bus.

The line for the shuttle bus going back to Danshui MRT is in the parking lot of the temple.