Osaka Mint Bureau Cherry Walk

For one week each April, the Osaka Mint opens a 560-meter path through its grounds where roughly 340 cherry trees of 141 varieties bloom in sequence, mostly yaezakura with full layered petals that appear about a week after the city's standard Somei Yoshino cherries have already dropped. The tradition started in 1883 when the Mint's director opened the grounds so the public could enjoy the late-blooming trees. One variety is named the featured blossom of the year. Advance reservations are now required and numbers are capped. Evening hours are particularly atmospheric as floodlights catch the unusual flower forms against the night sky.