Sakura in Toronto
Though Toronto first received blossoms through diplomatic relations in 1959, hanami in the city has seen a significant surge in popularity in the past decade, with the most popular destination of High Park even going so far as to ban vehicles from entering the grounds while the sakura are in peak bloom. Thankfully, there are plenty of areas in Toronto to enjoy hanami if you’d rather not brave the crowds. Find a few of them below!
High Park
High Park’s tradition of sakura began in 1959, when the Japanese ambassador to Canada presented the city of Toronto with 2000 sakura trees on behalf citizens of Tokyo. Today, the collection of sakura in High Park has grown substantially, with an additional 50 trees planted between 2017-2018 alone. Though the sakura are scattered throughout the park, the greatest collection of them is located on the west side of Grenadier Pond.
Check out the High Park Nature Centre's Blossom Watch to find out when the trees are in bloom: Cherry Blossom Watch - Nature Centre (highparknaturecentre.com)
Birkdale Ravine
One of the city’s more recent sakura destinations, this sakura-namiki (tunnel of cherry blossom trees) was donated by Toronto’s sister Japanese city of Sagamihara, and planted in 2015 and 2016. A suburb of Tokyo, Sagamihara had originally signed a friendship city agreement with Scarborough, prior to becoming a sister city of Toronto.
Trinity Bellwoods Park
Located in a trendy part of Toronto’s west end, this park is home to about 70 sakura trees, and is a popular destination for picnickers and photo-takers. The surrounding area is also home to a number of Japanese shops and restaurants.
Other Information:
The Sakura Project
Many of the cherry blossom trees that can be found in Ontario were brought to Canada through The Consulate General of Japan in Toronto's “Sakura Project”. The project aimed to plant 3,000 cherry blossom trees throughout the province, and was in 2012, after exceeding their goal, having planted a total of 3,082 trees.
In 2022, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sakura Project's completion, the Consulate published an electronic photobook to show the current state of many of the trees donated as part of the project.
You can download the booklet by clicking the link below:
https://www.toronto.ca.emb-japan.go.jp/files/100325362.pdf
The Sakura Haiku Challenge
Those who feel inspired to capture the cherry blossom's beauty in writing should be aware that the Consulate General of Japan in Toronto held a Sakura Haiku Challenge. Haiku, as readers may be aware, are the shortest form of poetry, originating from Japan.
You can check the submitted Haiku on the Consulate General's social media platforms, and for further information, visit their sakura page by clicking the link below:
https://www.toronto.ca.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/11_000001_00308.html
