Japan's tourism is only 4% lower than before the Tsunami hit Japan last year. Agoda.com, Asia's leading hotel booking site and part of Nasdaq-listed Priceline Group (Nasdaq: PCLN), announced special deals for Japan hotels just in time for sakura season.
The sakura flower, or cherry blossom, is an indelible part of Japanese culture and identity. Honored throughout Japanese history in art, poetry, and song, the delicate petals of this national emblem appear only briefly each year. Their arrival transforms bare winter branches into billowy clouds, inspiring an activity known as hanami.
Hanami is the practice of viewing sakura trees in full bloom – a custom adopted from third-century China, where the aristocracy would picnic beneath plum blossom trees. Today, hanami parties are staged wherever there are blossoming sakura to appreciate, with groups of friends, families, and colleagues gathering beneath the boughs to share food and listen to music.
Hanami begins in Tokyo parks and gardens towards the end of March, with the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido the last to come into bloom, sakura flowers appear from the middle to the end of May. Popular hanami foods include dumplings (dango) and bento box sets for their portability, while sake is also often enjoyed at nighttime viewing parties.
There are several locations across Japan where the cherry blossoms are best viewed. In Tokyo, Ueno Park has more than a thousand sakura trees. In Kyoto, the banks of the Kamogawa River are lined with cherry blossoms, and in Osaka, crowds gather at Osaka Castle where 4,000 sakura trees bloom throughout the gardens.
Agoda.com has some spectacular spring deals for travelers wishing to see sakura in bloom. The promotions listed below are for hotels in the top hanami spots in Japan – some deals available only for a few weeks.
AGODA.COM SUPER SAKURA HOTEL DEALS!
TOKYO
Hotel Ryumeikan Tokyo 4* - 15% discount!
From US$138 per night. Must book within 7 days of check in date. Valid until August 31, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/tokyo/hotel_ryumeikan_tokyo.html
Shinjuku Washington Hotel 3* - 40% discount!
From US$78 per night. Minimum 4 nights stay. Valid until September 27, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/tokyo/shinjuku_washington_hotel.html
Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel 5* - 20% discount!
From US$282 per night. Minimum stay 3 nights. Valid until May 31, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/tokyo/cerulean_tower_tokyu_hotel.html
Narita Excel Hotel Tokyu 4* - 20% discount!
From US$58 per night. Book before April, stay before April 20, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/tokyo/narita_excel_hotel_tokyu.html
Omori Tokyu Inn 2* - 30% discount!
From US$96 per night. Must book within 7 days of check-in. Valid until December 31, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/tokyo/omori_tokyu_inn.html
Hotel Monterey Ginza 3* - 30% discount!
From US$141 per night. Valid until September 27, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/tokyo/hotel_monterey_ginza.html
Hotel Monterey La Soeur Ginza 3* - 30% discount!
From US$141 per night. Minimum stay 4 nights. Valid until September 27, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/tokyo/hotel_monterey_la_soeur_ginza.html
Hotel Monterey Akasaka 3*- Pay 2 Stay 3!
From US$129 per night. Minimum stay 3 nights. Valid until March 30, 2013.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/tokyo/hotel_monterey_akasaka.html
Hotel Monterey Hanzomon 3.5* - 25% discount!
From US$126 per night. Minimum stay 3 nights. Valid until March 31, 2013.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/tokyo/hotel_monterey_hanzomon.html
Hotel Sun Members Tokyo Shinjuku 3* - 17% discount!
From US$99 per night. Minimum stay 4 nights. Valid until December 30, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/tokyo/hotel_sun_members_tokyo_shinjuku.html
OSAKA
Hotel Granvia Osaka 4* - 20% discount.
From US$136 per night. Sunday and Monday only, valid until December 31, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/osaka/hotel_granvia_osaka.html
Swissotel Nankai Osaka Hotel 5*
From US$181 per night. Minimum stay 2 nights.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/osaka/swissotel_nankai_osaka_hotel.html
Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka 4* - 30% discount!
From US$169 per night. Minimum stay 3 nights. Valid until December 31, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/osaka/hotel_monterey_grasmere_osaka.html
Osaka Floral Inn Namba 3* - 10% discount!
From US$85 per night. Minimum stay 3 nights. Valid until December 31, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/osaka/osaka_floral_inn_namba.html
Best Western Hotel Kansai Airport 3* - 10% discount!
From US$64 per night. Must book at least 14 days in advance. Valid until December 31, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/osaka/best_western_hotel_kansai_airport.html
KYOTO
Reiah Hotel Ohtsu Ishiyama 3* - 30% discount!
From US$81 per night. Must book at least 14 days in advance. Valid until December 31, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/kyoto/reiah_hotel_ohtsu_ishiyama.html
Hotel Granvia Kyoto 5* - 20% discount!
From US$179 per night. Minimum stay 2 nights. Valid until December 31, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/kyoto/hotel_granvia_kyoto.html
Kyoto Royal Hotel & Spa 4* - 15% discount!
From US$98 per night. Must book at least 14 days in advance. Valid until December 31, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/kyoto/kyoto_royal_hotel_spa.html
Hotel Hokke Club Kyoto 3* - 15% discount!
From US$75 per night. Valid until December 31, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/kyoto/hotel_hokke_club_kyoto.html
Seikoro Ryokan 5* - 20% discount!
From US$243 per night. Valid until December 31, 2012.
www.agoda.com/asia/japan/kyoto/seikoro_ryokan.html
MEDIA CONTACT: Alongkorn Niyomdecha (Mac), Online Marketing Associate, Agoda Company Pte. Ltd., email: Alongkorn.Niyomdecha@agoda.com
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