SAKURA TRUTH

Cherry blossoms, or sakura, are an iconic symbol of Japan. Yet many mysteries continue to swirl around them. For one, it turns out that "Someiyoshino," the variety most widely seen in Japan, didn't exist until the Edo period. Are "Someiyoshino" all clones? Was the culture of cherry blossom viewing popularized by an Edo period shogun? And how was a new species discovered by investigating ones said to bloom twice? We meet with experts in their fields to get to the truth about these much-loved blossoms.