Blossom watch

Forget watching flowers grow: if you want to see the most profound transition of the season, try hanami,

- Toby

WITH the bird watching and, er, trainspotting, you probably think you’ve seen it all. But think again! The ancient Japanese custom of ‘hanami’ (aka staring at cherry trees) is the newest way to gawp in wonder at the natural world, and just like Wagamama it’s sweeping the nation.

Spring celebrations in the UK have long been limited to Easter eating or, for active owners of a Maypole, coordinated skipping. But hanami, revelling in the transient beauty of blossoms, is open to all – you don’t even need a garden. Public parks and the National Trust (see opposite) are planting new groves of flowering cherries, listing a growing number of Blossom Watch events.