On February 26th, free branches of pruned cherry trees were distributed at Hirosaki Park (Shimohiragin-cho, Hirosaki City).

The event, held every Friday by the Hirosaki City Park and Greenery Division, is held 5 times, starting in 2007 and the 10th time this year. According to Yuji Ebina, a staff member of the department, it is said that municipalities that distribute cherry blossom branches to citizens are rare in Japan, and in Aomori, where cherry blossoms bloom in May, it is becoming a feature of spring ahead. "I used to dispose of it as it was in the old days, but since it blooms in about two weeks when exposed to water, there were calls among the citizens for branches," Ebina said.

The cherry blossoms in the park are managed by a member of a tree doctor called "Sakuramori," who will perform pruning work from late February to March. It is also called the “Hirosaki method” because it uses the same apple pruning technology as the cherry blossoms, and it is said that there are groups from all over the country that come to visit the site.

The pruning work that started on February 19 this year will be carried out on all 2,600 cherry trees for about one and a half months with about 20 people per day. "This year there was little damage to the wild lie bird that eats flower buds, and when we confirmed the buds, they were in good condition and we can expect the same size of cherry blossoms as two years ago," says Ebina.

At the distribution event that started at 8:30 on February 26, approximately 200 locals lined up in the cold of minus 4 degrees. The woman in her 50s who has lined up from 8 o'clock is from Hirosaki who lives in Tokyo. When he returned home to see his parents, he heard the news about the distribution. "I want to bring back Japan's best Hirosaki cherry blossoms to Tokyo and make them bloom," he smiles.

Distribution will also be done on March 4, 11th, 18th, and 25th. The time is from 8:30. It ends as soon as it disappears.