It’s sakura-time in Swiss Cottage! The flowering cherry trees in the Swiss Cottage Open Space are in full blossom now, so best make use of the glorious sight, especially on a sunny day. The short-lived sakura is particularly revered in Japan , where it symbolizes the fleeting beauty of life and a time of renewal in Shinto philosophy.
We see many Japanese people meeting and photographing each other under our Swiss Cottage blossom, even having picnics on the warmer days. The flower-watching gatherings are known as hanami and are an important part of the social year in Japan.
Whilst the Swiss Cottage trees are very pale pink or white, deeper pink and larger flowered varieties can be seen at other locations, often flowering at slightly different times. Other places to see sakura include Kew Gardens, Kyoto Gardens in Holland Park, Greenwich Park, some in Regents Park and more sporadically in many other parks and in many of our streets.
Pictures by Anna Selwyn
