TOKYO: Many Japanese local governments continue asking citizens not to hold cherry blossom-viewing parties after the country’s coronavirus state of emergency was fully lifted Sunday.

Meanwhile, some eating and drinking establishments have defied requests for shortened operating hours in a bid to rake in sales during the blossom-viewing season.

In Tokyo, among the areas that exited the emergency Sunday after more than two months, Ueno Park is asking visitors not to hold parties with picnic sheets as in the previous year. Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the park had some 3 million visitors during the cherry blossom-viewing season every year.

The rows of cherry trees, which were closed off to the public last year, have been opened up for one-way traffic as the park decided to allow blossom-viewing while walking.

“We want people to take preventive measures such as wearing masks and disinfecting their hands when visiting the park,” a Tokyo metropolitan government official said.

In Yamanashi Prefecture, near Tokyo, where the governor made headlines by saying residents should feel free to go out and enjoy cherry blossoms, the “Sakura Matsuri” cherry blossom festival is slated to begin at Oboshi Park in the town of Fujikawa on Thursday.

The venue will have food stalls. Visitors will be urged to use special eating and drinking spaces with infection prevention measures instead of using picnic sheets or walking while eating.

“Although it remains difficult to go out, we hope that people become refreshed by viewing the cherry blossoms,” an official said.

Meanwhile, some restaurants are aiming to use the opportunity to stage a comeback from their slump amid the coronavirus crisis.

A meat dish restaurant in Tokyo’s Meguro Ward decided to stay open until 11 p.m., flouting the metropolitan government’s request to close by 9 p.m. The establishment faces the Meguro River, which has some 800 cherry trees lined up along its banks for about 4 kilometers.

Meguro Ward, calling for voluntary restrictions on going out to view cherry blossoms, has asked restaurants and bars near the river not to provide takeout services for such visitors.

However, the meat dish restaurant manager, 33, said that his place will not abide by the request as revenue is more important.

He said the number of reservations is reaching levels before the epidemic and that he has hired 15 part-time workers to keep up.

“We’ll do it as long as customers come, as we want to somehow get back on our feet using the cherry blossom-viewing season,” he said confidently.

JIJI Press