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Chapter 1 The Natural and Cultural History of Japan's Flowering Cherries The Native Habitat of Japanese Flowering Cherries Climate The mild and gentle climate of Japan has four clearly distinct seasons that favor plant life and flowering cherries in particular. There are about 2000 mm of precipitation a year, including the rainy season in June. The watering of plants is generous, and the extra rainy spell in early summer falls exactly in the growing season of the cherry. Summer in Japan is hot and humid. Infestations of plant lice, caterpillars, and bugs shave many cherry trees in this season. Some trees are almost leafless at the end of summer, which is not pleasing to view but is not harmful to the tree. The insects stop the early summer growth by eating the leaves. It is likely that this cessation of growth benefits the ripening of the wood and fruits, and it may even support the development of the winter buds of the cherry. Autumn helps the final maturing of cherry buds in Japan. The weather is dry and bright, so that buds develop with dry and tight scales that protect the new growth of coming spring. Japan's winters are mild with a few days or weeks of temperatures just below 0째C. No severe, enduring frosts occur in most parts of the country so that the soil is never deeply frozen. Root growth of the shallow-rooting cherry slows down but hardly seems to stop in winter. Above the ground the cherry has a distinct period of rest, awaiting the warmer days of spring.