The flowering of ornamental cherry (Prunus cvs) trees is celebrated as an important festival in Japan and South Korea.  According to the Independent of 31 March 2006:                                                  ‘The hanami (flower viewing) party underneath Japan’s beloved cherry tree is a calendar mainstay and has survived, claim some experts, 1600 years of natural disasters and urbanisation …  About 1.5 million blossom-worshippers make the pilgrimage every year to a single venue – Ueno Park in the centre of Tokyo to view the 1100 cherry trees, the majority in March and April.  The trees are so revered it is illegal to snip off a single branch.’

What appears to be an echo of this festival could be observed in Regents Park, London, on 1 April 2018, when oriental people photographed and admired the flowering cherry trees.