Japanese Sakura at Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle Photoshopped, originally uploaded by show and tell.

For more than 1200 years there has been a tradition of "flower viewing" in Japan, often referred to as "Sakura" which means "Cherry Blossoms". Every year a great deal of attention is given to the prediction and tracking of the Cherry blossom "front" as the blossoming period moves steadily from south to north. As I recall there was quite a row this last year as several of the Meteorological Agencies were a few days off in their predictions. It seems that a lot of people plan their visits to Japan in order to be able to witness and celebrate the Sakura.