Every year, spring in Canada is marked by cherry blossom season, when the Japanese trees across the country start to bloom.
While it’s honestly a beautiful sight, there are quite a few reasons I’m not in a hurry to head to any of the cherry blossom locations in Canada this year.
Initially, I had high hopes, because when I moved to Canada from Dubai in March 2022, this was one of the main things people told me to look forward to.
So, when the cherry blossom season did roll around, of course, I did excitedly visit High Park, a place that’s usually rated as one of the best to view the Sakura in Toronto.
However, I quickly realized that everyone else in Toronto basically had the same idea.
Cherry blossom trees surrounded by people in High Park, Toronto. Janice Rodrigues | Narcity
And it’s completely understandable. Since the Sakura are in full bloom for such a short window (10-14 days, maximum), there are a limited number of days when people can really enjoy the sights. And this means anyone and everyone who wants to view them visits during this limited time frame.
While the park is pretty big, when I went the handful of giant cherry blossom trees were surrounded by so many people that it was basically impossible to take a picture without accidentally getting another ten people in the frame.
I also felt so guilty about potentially ruining other people's photos that I ended up not taking any snapshots of myself — or even hanging around the trees at all!
Instead, I decided to just walk through the park, which, again, was so packed with people that it felt a bit like a tourist trap, with long lines for food trucks and washrooms.
This meant that not only was it pretty busy, noisy and crowded, the snack options were limited and the washrooms were constantly in use.
In fact, everything I love about being out among nature, like that feeling of solitude and the sound of the birds, was completely negated by the crowds of people and the influencers who seemed more concerned with snapping a perfect picture than enjoying the serenity of their surroundings.
What's more, Toronto’s weather dips and peaks a lot during spring, which means there's a good chance you could get soaked with rain or sunburned -- or both -- while out enjoying the scenery.
All in all, I did get some cute pictures of the Sakura (sans me) and while I was initially pretty proud of my (questionable) photography, all that went straight out the window when people started posting their own pictures on social media… and they all looked exactly the same as mine.
Clichéd cherry blossom pictures taken by Janice Rodrigues.Janice Rodrigues | Narcity
In fact, it felt like a bit of a cliché, with everyone having almost-identical images of the pink petals at the same time.
The final blow came when I returned home and a relative asked me why I had gone all the way to High Park to view cherry blossom trees… when some neighbours actually had them blooming in their yards, visible just a few feet away.
All of this to say, when I was recently invited to see Toronto's cherry blossoms, I politely declined.
Because while I did honestly enjoy seeing the Sakura last year, I feel like if I’ve seen it once, I’ve seen it all. And I especially wouldn’t wake up at the crack of dawn in the hopes of dodging the influencers and seeing the pink petals with fewer crowds.
I’m not denying that they make a beautiful sight or the cultural relevance of them being a symbol of Japan. And I probably will one day pay them a visit again, especially if I have visiting friends and family.
But until then, I’m going to try and focus all the other beautiful nature that Canada has to offer, from the Northern Lights to the hiking trails. And maybe I'll keep an eye out for those hidden backyard blooms, too!
Cherry blossom trees surrounded by people in High Park, Toronto. 
Clichéd cherry blossom pictures taken by Janice Rodrigues.