Sakura in Japanese means cherry tree. Every year, between late March and early April, the age-old tradition of these trees' spring blossoming is renewed, drawing hundreds of tourists from Japan and the rest of the world to the capital Tokyo and to the other cities where these plants adorn avenues and streets.

The spectacle of the sakura blossoming is covered by international photographic agencies. There are countless image galleries documenting the celebrations and the picnics enjoyed in the shade of the pink and white blossoms.

This tradition takes its name from hanami, "a social moment of contemplation of the explosion of nature's beauty in the parks of every Japanese city", writes Stefano Carnazzi in the Expo Milan 2015 magazine. The gallery of images we present here was taken by photographer Chris McGrath on 28 March in Tokyo. The blossoming season begins in Okinawa as early as January, then continues in a cascade along the entire Japanese archipelago, reaching cities of unique charm such as Kyoto during the month of February, and the capital Tokyo at the dawn of spring.