From late March to April, pale pink cherry blossoms bloom in many places throughout the Japanese archipelago. The cherry blossoms mark the change from a cold winter to a warm spring. Many people love cherry blossoms and consider them a symbol of Japanese culture. Many people in Japan enjoy viewing cherry blossoms and having a picnic under blooming cherry trees at this time of a year. These picnics are called “cherry blossom viewing” or ohanami. There are many cherry blossom-viewing spots throughout the country—in cities, mountains and forests. In the cherry blossom-viewing spots in the cities, friends, families and coworkers colleagues enjoy cherry blossom viewing together. For many workplaces, ohanami is a semi-official event in spring. Many corporate managers believe this sort of event develops a sense of team sprit among employees, and allow employees to enjoy ohanami together. Indeed, some offices may even ask new employees to save a prime location for ohanami, even during working hours. Other employees then come after work, and all enjoy picnicking together under the cherry blossoms until late in the evening