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BLOOM. A closer view of sakura in bloom in Kanazawa Castle Park in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, on April 13, 2024. Isagani de Castro Jr./Rappler RISE, FALL, RISE. Graph shows the rise in number of Filipino tourists who went to Japan after it liberalized the entry to some ASEAN nationals in 2013, the steep drop during COVID-19, and the return to pre-pandemic levels in 2024. The 2024 line down should be excluded since it’s just May 2024 when this piece was published. Screenshot from Japan National Tourism Organization
CRUISE. Sakura trees line the Matsukawa River, where tourists can take a 30-minute boat ride and view cherry blossoms in Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan, on April 15, 2024. Isagani de Castro Jr./Rappler SPENDING. Figures show the average amount in yen spent by Filipino short-term travelers to Japan from 2014 to 2019, based on questionnaire surveys by the Japan tourism authorities. This table is from the Japan National Tourism Organization which cites Japan Tourism Agency’s “Consumption Trend Survey for Foreigners Visiting Japan” as basis. Image from JNTO
Recall that Baguio’s Flower Festival or the Panagbenga, the Philippines’ most famous flower festival, was started only in 1996. It was conceived partly as a response to the decline in visitors to Baguio resulting from the devastation wrought by the 1990 Luzon earthquake. During sakura season, local and foreign visitors simply go to see the beauty of the trees and the experience of falling flower petals. They have picnics in parks with sakura trees or have lunch under sakura trees.