“We normally have around 250,000 people visiting the tree during cherry blossom season,” he told the Daily Telegraph. “This year was obviously different. But 60,000 people have still been to see the tree over the past week. We are expecting more as it reaches full bloom today and over the weekend.” The cherry blossom season had earlier triggered a debate in Japan over whether people should be enjoying the traditional “hanami” (flower appreciation) picnics so soon after the March 11 disasters.