The Ministry of Finance's Osaka Mint Office (the Japan Mint) is situated on the Yodo Riverside Promenade, a stretch of land thickly planted with cherry trees which produce clouds of delicate pink and white blossoms every spring. The promenade can be walked along freely at any time, but in a tradition dating back to the late-19th century, the Mint Gardens open to the public for just one week a year during the peak blossom period.

As an added bonus the cherry trees are illuminated in the evenings to magical effect. Indeed, so famous are the Mint Office blossoms that the people of Osaka even have a special phrase, zoheikyoku sakura no torinuke, which means "viewing the cherry blossoms while strolling through the Mint Office gardens".

No one can predict exactly when the cherry blossom will bloom, but it's usually a safe bet to aim for late March/early April. As soon as the blossoms start to open, sightseers rush from near and far to catch their transient beauty, the progress of the flowers is much discussed on national TV, and photographers descend in droves. Everyone from politicians to sumo wrestlers turns out to do hanami - picnicking under the blossoms and consuming copious amounts of beer and Japanese sake.

For an overview of Osaka's cherry season take a boat trip down the blossom-lined river, or head to the grounds of the imposing Osaka castle where the Nishinomaru Garden's hundreds of cherry trees attract enormous numbers of people for picnics and frivolous fun.