those bearing large double flowers of very rich colour, 
which are perhaps the queen of the garden, surpassing 
all other spring flowers in their loveliness. 
Hanan, which means flower-viewing, is one of the 
chief “events” in the social life of the Japanese people. 
No other flowers afford so much pleasure to mankind 
as the cherry, and none but cherries have so close 
a bearing upon human life. At least, such is the relation 
that obtains between men and the cherry flowers in Japan. 
It is not only because cherries burst into bloom all at 
once in the midst of the genial springtime, not long 
after the dreary winter months are over, but also be- 
cause the world of nature in this country and its en- 
vironments combine to make the cherries of the land 
display nature’s glory, enshrined in them, to the fullest 
advantage. 
In the old Edo days, when the Shogunate Govern- 
ment took the helm of state, and present Tokyo was 
called Edo, the townsfolk, men and women, old and 
young, bent on pleasure-seeking in the flower season, 
used to go out in gala attire on flower-viewing excur- 
sions to the cherry groves at Uyeno or Mukojima, to 
noted gardens, or to the compound of temples where 
cherries were blooming, and spend the whole day enjoy- 
ing their floral beauty to the full. This practice of 
pleasure-hunting and merry-making was not limited to 
the people of Edo, but was also common among the 
countryfolk throughout the land. It formed in fact a 
national custom. In the Genroku era (1688-1703), 
especially when habits of luxury and gaiety are said to 
have reached their zenith, the practice was indulged in 
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