In Japan, the thousand-year-old tradition known as hanami (“flower watching”) celebrates the annual arrival—and the fleeting beauty—of cherry blossoms. This year, the cherry trees in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (pictured), in Queens, were in full bloom by mid-April. Packing a picnic to enjoy under the trees is a hanami ritual—Japanese chefs wrap red-bean-paste-filled cakes in pickled cherry blossoms and dye rice balls and dumplings pink for the occasion. Whether you focus on the flowers or on the food is up to you.
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