Plants and Flowers in Central Tokyo & Japanese Culture by Kei Narujima　東京の草花＆つぶやき - なるじまけい: Somei yoshino cherry (Prunus x yedoensis)

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Somei Yoshino Cherry Blossoms (Prunus x Yedoensis)　染井吉野（ソメイヨシノ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms (Prunus x yedoensis or Cerasus x yedoensis). There are a variety of cherry trees but Somei Yoshino is so special in Japan that the term "cherry blossoms" often means Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms. Cherry blossoms are all gorgeous but differently from other flowers, i.e., always associated with death or ephemerality because of their short life span of one to two weeks.

The beauty reminds me of "The Makioka Sisters" by Junichiro Tanizaki, which ends with cherry blossoms viewing in Kyoto. The novel has no plot but is so intriguingly beautiful, based on the real life of the sisters of Tanizaki's wife, with a writing style which currently may not be necessarily popular due to long sentences. Its original title "sasame yuki" translates to "light snow," a metaphor of the Makioka family, which is declining and therefore showing the ephemeral beauty as cherry blossoms. The novel was translated into English by Edward G. Seidensticker. It's pretty long but worthwhile reading if you're interested in Japanese culture.

Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms are pinkish white as opposed to Oshima cherry blossoms, which at first are whitish pink, then turn to baby pink. If you're interested in other types of cherry blossoms, read the posts below!!

2023/3/29

2025/4/6

Oshima and Yoshino Cherry Blossoms - Which is Which?　大島桜と染井吉野の見分け方

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

It's very difficult to distinguish Oshima cherry (Prunus speciosa) from Somei Yoshino cherry (Prunus x yedoensis). Both are whitish pink, resembling each other. But there are a couple of clear differences.

First, Oshima cherry trees start to produce white flowers and green leaves at almost the same time while Somei Yoshino produces whitish pink blossoms first and then green leaves after flowers fall. You can see this by comparing the first two photos. Secondly, Oshima cherry blossoms turn whitish pink just before falling while Somei Yoshino blossoms don't. They're just whitish pink from the beginning to the end. Thirdly, although both are pink, the pink is slightly different because Oshima cherry blossoms change color, resulting in them having a gradient from pure white to pale (slightly reddish) pink toward the end of the blossom season whereas Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms' pink is a little smoky.

If you want to compare these two in more detail, read the posts below.

If you're interested in brighter pink cherry blossoms, such as Yoko, Okame, Kawazu, and Taiwan cherry blossoms, click the link(s)!

2026/3/24 Somei Yoshino

2026/3/24 Oshima

Prunus x Yedoensis (Yoshino Cherry) Blossoms　染井吉野（ソメイヨシノ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are Prunus x yedoensis or Yoshino cherry blossoms. Yoshino cherry is one of the most popular cherry cultivars in Japan. I was so lucky to be able to take these close-up photos of such beautiful Yoshino cherry blossoms this season.

Most of the Yoshino cherry trees in my neighborhood are tall and have blossoms high on the trees, but on March 27 when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom in Tokyo this year, I found several Yoshino cherry trees, which were tall but had blossoms lower, like 2 meters from the ground.

Now I'm looking forward to seeing my another favorite cherry blossoms, i.e., Gyoiko. They're green/yellow, starting to bloom in mid to late April.

If you're interested in other cherry blossoms, Yoko, Okame, Kawazu, and Taiwan cherry blossoms, which are all pink, and Oshima cherry blossoms, which are mostly white, click the link(s)!