Japan cancels cherry blossom festivals due to coronavirus

Japan has canceled its famous cherry blossom festivals and urged citizens to refrain from hanami gatherings to contain the coronavirus. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike compared the ban to asking Italians to stop hugging, calling it necessary to limit traditional gatherings. The Imperial Household Agency canceled the annual opening of Inui Street at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, which had been open to the public since 2014 during cherry blossom and autumn foliage seasons. The two most famous festivals—the Osaka Mint Cherry Blossom Festival and the Nakameguro Cherry Blossom Festival in Tokyo—were canceled, along with the illumination of cherry trees along the Meguro River near Nakameguro, where 800 trees line a 2.2-kilometer stretch and 1 kilometer is lit from dusk to 9 p.m. The hanami tradition dates back to the Kamakura period of the 12th century.