Cherry Blossom-Viewing Budget hits post-pandemic high

The average budget for this season was 166 yen higher than last year's average, which was the previous post-pandemic high.

This year's survey was conducted in late February through a smartphone app.

Respondents were asked to choose their budgets in 500-yen increments from a range between zero yen and 10,000 yen or more.

The average figure excluded answers from those who planned to spend zero yen on cherry blossom viewing.

By prefecture, the average budget was the highest in Akita in northeastern Japan at 4,303 yen, followed by Kumamoto in southwestern Japan at 3,680 yen and Nara in western Japan at 3,622 yen.

The survey also showed that 36.9 % of the respondents planned to go cherry blossom viewing. The proportion was the highest in Saga Prefecture at 56.5 %, followed by Tottori at 51.0 % and Kyoto at 47.4 %. Meanwhile, 34.2 % said they did not plan to go cherry blossom viewing, and 28.9 % said they had not decided whether to go.

Many of these respondents cited hay fever as the reason for not going or being unsure about going. Asked to choose the time of day they would go to see cherry blossoms, from morning, daytime and night, 80 % picked daytime. Asked about cherry blossom viewing spots they would like to visit at least once, Hirosaki Park in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, came out on top.

Mount Yoshino in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, Goryokaku Park in Hokkaido, northernmost Japan, and Miharu Takizakura in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, also drew popularity.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

Photo by Reuters