Later, the cherry blossoms came to symbolize geishas’ femininity and the power of warriors. Aristocrats strolled among the blossoms, musicians serenaded the trees, poets used them for inspiration. And during Japan’s militarization in the 20th century, the petals stood for fallen soldiers as well as Kamikaze pilots.
Whatever their meaning, the ephemeral blooms make it hard to plan the festival. “If you have rain or wind,” Ohnuki-Tierney said, “it goes away in two or three days.” Because it is so tricky to predict the timing of the blooms, a celebration that began as a modest three-day event in the 1930s will last this year from March 20 to April 13.