Spring is officially here, and in some parts of the world, that means the arrival of the cherry blossoms. Indigenous to Japan, the *sakura* are beautiful pink flowers that cover much of the Japanese countryside this time of year, and the resulting images are absolutely stunning. Tourists come from far and wide to see the blooms, and locals often host “flower watching” parties known in Japanese as *hanami*. To celebrate this beautiful cultural tradition, National Geographic created a gallery of cherry blossoms, comprised of photos by members of the Nat Geo community. You can see some of them below.
