Okinawa holds a very special place in Japan at this time of year. You see; one thing that can be 
said about the Japanese people is they love their cherry blossoms. They’ve written songs about them, celebrated them in poetry and even have them displayed on the 100 yen coin. 
And history itself attests to the fact that this affection for the yearly explosion of color is by no means a fleeting fancy - unless you consider one thousand four hundred years as fleeting. That’s right… 1400 years.
It was in the Nara Period during the 8th century that the practice of picnicking under a blooming 
sakura tree “know as Hanami” first became popular - although some chronicles from that period show hanami festivals being held as early as the third century. The custom was originally limited to the elite of the Imperial Court but soon spread to the samurai society. By the Edo period of the 1600’s, the time when Okinawa started sending envoys to Japan, hanami had spread to the common people. This was greatly encouraged by Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune (1715 – 1745) who planting large areas of Sakura trees under which the people could eat and drink sake in cheerful feasts. And to this day the people of Japan still have an affinity for these trees. They have even become part of every day life as you can usually find cherry blossom trees planted outside of most Japanese schools and public buildings. In fact, in many parts of Honshū, Japan’s largest island, the first day of work or school coincides with the cherry blossom season.
So, as you can see, when Okinawa came under the political domination of Japan in 1609 they inherited a cherry blossom tradition that had already existed for at least 900 years. But they have lost no time in catching up to this national blooming craze.
Now, every year as this time approaches, all of Japan’s eyes are focused on Okinawa, for this is 
where the sakura zensen (cherry-blossom front) begins its march through all of the islands that constitute Japan. With television stations providing daily forecasts of its progress, the sakura trees burst into lavish colors as the warmer weather creeps northward. The blossoming begins in Okinawa 
during January and typically reaches Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo by the end of March. It then proceeds northward into areas at higher elevations and arrives in Hokkaidō, Japan’s northern most island, by the first week in May.
In true Japanese fashion, Okinawa holds many festivals in celebration of this colorful and vibrant flowering event. On January 15th of 2011 the Motobu Yaedake Sakura Festival started, with more than 7,000 sakura trees displaying their brilliant pink cherry blossom from the base of 
Mount Yaedake upwards to its peak. The Nakijin Castle Park Cherry Blossom Festival begins on January 22nd. Then at Shuri Castle Park in Naha City the Shuri Castle Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off during the last week in January. In all of these you will be treated to great Japanese food (yakitori, yakisoba, okonomiyaki etc) Eisa dance performances and local live bands.
But this is only a few of the many cherry blossom festivals going on in Okinawa at this time of year. For a complete listing of locations and dates see okinawastory.jp - just in case reading this has inspired you to go to Okinawa and attend one of the festivals. (Oh, and if you need to take someone along to carry your bags or anything you can contact the blog guy for this site :)
The Cherry blossom is now an omen of good fortune and is also an emblem of love, affection and 
represents spring in Japan. So just to make sure you get your fair share of all of this, here is a link to tons of beautiful and inspiring cherry blossom photos for you to languish in during the next few minuets. Cherry Blossom Google
HAPPY CHERRY BLOSSOMS EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!
Chidorigafuchihe
Undoubtedly the most famous cherry-blossom viewing spots
in all of Japan is located along the
north-eastern moat of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
Resources;
http://www.okinawastory.jp/en/special/sakura_2011/sakura_index.html
http://www.japanupdate.com/?id=10895
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossom
http://www.okinawa-information.com/
