In Japan, both fiscal year and school year close in March. It means that April is the month when everything new starts. Although some company have changed it to close their fiscal year in December or August over the years, still new year means April.
If you have a kid at school age, you might need to know. Kids who are born during the time of April 2nd through April 1st next year are the same in school year.
It is on record that this system started in 1886. At the time, tax payers were mostly rice farmers. They needed to exchange their crops to cash to pay tax and they needed more time than December because rice harvest is usually fall. Also, the most powerful nation at the time, UK had a system closes in March. It seems like Japan borrowed from them.
If you visit Tokyo in early April, I would say the first week, you will see Sakura everywhere. Pale pink everywhere in a park, on the street and etc.
This is not only Tokyo but also almost everywhere in Japan. It appears in the record that Edo government started planting Sakura tree in the private garden in 18th century. People already celebrated cherry blossoms during Edo period.
This tradition was inherited from Edo government when Tokyo city was formed in 19th century. The government planted Sakura tree on the sidewalks, parks, and foreign embassies as urban city structure was deveoped. After a big earthquake in 1922 and WW II, planting Sakura tree was even a part of unemployment policy. Most of the trees in city was planted during these 20 years after the WW II.
Tree age of Sakura tree is averaged 60 – 80 years. That means we are facing a time of replanting Sakura trees next 10 years. Sakura Tree is very strong against the rains and winds before they blossom、but only last a week once they are in bloom. Japansese people even find beauty from falling cherry blossoms because they bloom in full and gone very fast. And it happens in April when people have a brand new season of everything.
