Japan's custom of cherry blossom viewing, or hanami, has been a quintessential part of its past and present, an entire chapter even having been devoted to it within the Heian-period classic The Tale of Genji. The viewings traditionally occur within the months of March and April, marking the arrival of Spring, and millions of people use the event as a way to escape the monotony of work-life, often setting up picnics to enjoy under the falling petals. In light of current events, however, these viewings have become worrisome issues for the Japanese government. While the government has urged people to avoid gatherings and events “that involve food and drink”, the public still continues to flock to parks to view the blooms. Despite being one of the countries with the most cases COVID-19 after China only a month ago, the spread in Japan has seemingly plateaued. Even with its population of around 14 million people, Japan "has recorded a little over 100 cases [of COVID-19] and just two deaths" as a result of the virus. While the reason behind the slowing of the spread is still quite unknown, the reason perhaps stemming from the country's traditional social culture, or the general maintenance of public hygiene, many citizens have slowly begun to resume everyday life, with "schools in some areas are already preparing to re-open and there are calls for a loosening of restrictions on large public events". However, with the rise in cases within Kansai, and as the majority of the population is within the age bracket of people most as risk (60 years and older), the Japanese government has taken perhaps rather reluctant precautions to prevent the virus from spreading exponentially, such as with the postponing of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which will certainly impact the Japanese economy. Despite all of these measures taken, the public still continues to head out to the parks to view the blooms, the tradition unable to be stripped away.
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