Sakura :The Japanese flowering cherry

Sakura (Japanese kanji : 桜 or 櫻; katakana: サクラ; hiragana: さくら) is the Japanees name for cherry trees, and their blossoms. In English, the word "sakura" is equivalent to the Japanese flowering cherry,[1] and their blossoms are commonly called cherry blossoms. Cherry fruit (known as sakuranbo) comes from a different species of tree.
Sakura is also a given name. The word "sakura" changes to zakura when used in a compound word such as "shidarezakura".

Every year the Japanese Meteorological Agency and the public track the sakura zensen (cherry-blossom front) as it moves northward up the archipelago with the approach of warmer weather via nightly forecasts following the weather segment of news programs. The blossoming begins in Okinawa in January and typically reaches Kyoto and Tokyo at the end of March or the beginning of April. It proceeds into areas at the higher altitudes and northward, arriving in Hokkaidō a few weeks later. Japanese pay close attention to these forecasts and turn out in large numbers at parks, shrines, and temples with family and friends to hold flower-viewing parties. Hanami festivals celebrate the beauty of the sakura and for many are a chance to relax and enjoy the beautiful view. The custom of hanami dates back many centuries in Japan: the eighth-century chronicle Nihon Shoki (日本書紀) records hanami festivals being held as early as the third century CE.

Most Japanese schools and public buildings have sakura trees outside of them. Since the fiscal and school year both begin in April, in many parts of Honshū, the first day of work or school coincides with the cherry blossom season. ( From : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakura)

OSAKA , Japan April 4-10, 2008