Data points: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/date-of-the-peak-cherry-t...
I’m surprised that there was lackluster response. For this kind of honor, you would think that there would be a flood of responses. I am attributing it to bad marketing.
Are you kidding? Grad students are well known to receive trivial monetary pay. Most of their pay is in honor.
Outside of Japan, Japanese culture often gets put on a pedestal but it of course isn’t without its own issues that aren’t apparent to outsiders viewing from a distance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BBabka_(convenience_store)
Many trees of the same family are also stunning in bloom but the Japanese cherry blossom is celebrated not only for its beauty, but also for the fleeting nature of it.
I'm not sure how that translates as the tree is moved to a different climate where it doesn't belong.