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Sakura Beyond the Crowds: Lesser-known Cities Shine in Cherry Blossom Season 2025

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Lesser-known Japanese cities bloom as sakura spotters seek out less crowdsChina and Korea are gaining interest as alternative cherry blossom destinationsTranquil ryokans emerge as favoured accommodation for a quieter sakura experience

SINGAPORE, Feb. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — As cherry blossoms begin to bloom as March approaches, travellers seeking a less-crowded sakura spotting experience are flocking to lesser-known cities in Japan to get their flower fix. While the Japanese cherry blossom season remains a top draw, this year, bookings for off-the-beaten-path and alternative locations beyond Japan are seeing significant growth, reflecting the rising demand for more peaceful and unique experiences in the heart of spring.

Japan’s Lesser-Known Sakura Spots Are Seeing a Surge in Demand

The “big three” cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto continue to be favourites, with Trip.com Group revealing triple-digit booking growth year-on-year during the sakura season. Of popular cities, Sendai, Kanazawa and Aomori also reflected the most year-on-year growth during the season.

Here’s a list of when cherry blossoms will bloom in chronological order, according to the Japan Meteorological Corporation’s forecast:

Interestingly, more travellers are seeking out lesser-known destinations for a quieter cherry blossom experience.

Toyohashi has seen a staggering 2300% YoY growth, drawing visitors to attractions like Mukaiyama Greenery Park’s Plum Tree Orchard and Yoshida Castle in Toyohashi Park. Coastal Itoshima (1500% YoY) is emerging as a hidden gem, home to scenic sakura spots such as Kafuri Park, which boasts 500 cherry trees and panoramic views of Funakoshi Bay and Mt. Kaya. Meanwhile, Yakushima (900% YoY) offers a truly special experience—cherry blossom viewing within a UNESCO-listed ancient forest.

Top Cities Searched for Sakura Season & Key Visitor Trends

Search patterns highlight the diverse range of traveller preferences for Japan’s iconic “hanami” (flower viewing parties). Major urban hubs like Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Yokohama dominate searches for “cherry blossom” and “sakura” related searches, indicating travellers are still keen on popular city itineraries with cherry blossom spotting as one of the highlights. Meanwhile, lesser-known locations such as Ureshino, Kagoshima, and Yuzawa have also made it to the top ten list.

Searches in different languages indicate varied traveller origins; for example, English and Mandarin speakers drive Tokyo’s demand, while Korean interest is strong for Nago.

Overall, travel flows to Japan during sakura season (besides domestic flows) hail from the Asia Pacific region, with Hong Kong SAR, Korea, Taiwan region, Thailand and Singapore being the top source markets in terms of booking volume. Outside of Asia, travellers from the US (138.70% YoY growth), UK (137.11%) and Australia (156.54%) are also fast growing. Millennials comprise the bulk of travellers, comprising almost half of the booking volume.

Emerging International Cherry Blossom Destinations

While Japan remains a cherry blossom travel hub, more international travellers are seeking alternative locations to experience the floral spectacle. Across Southeast Asia and China, hidden gems are emerging with breathtaking displays that rival Japan’s parks. Cherry blossoms in Korea are also fast gaining attention.

Some top alternative Cherry Blossom destinations for 2025 include:

Alishan, Taiwan region – A stunning mountain landscape where cherry blossoms bloom in the early spring.Wuhan & Beijing, Mainland China – Famous cherry blossom parks like East Lake (Wuhan) and Yuyuantan Park (Beijing) are emerging as must-visit locations.Jinhae, South Korea – The site of the famous Cherry Blossom Festival, where blossoms blanket the entire city.

Among the most-searched destinations outside Japan are Wuxi and Wuhan in Mainland China, Seoul and Gyeongju in South Korea, as well as Nantou and Chiayi in Taiwan region. In South Korea, Gyeongju has seen a remarkable 211.48% surge in bookings this season, while Taiwan region’s Alishan Scenic Area in Chiayi County has experienced a 171.01% year-on-year increase, drawing visitors to its mountain blooms from mid-March to mid-April.

Similarly, bookings to Wuhan, Mainland China, have risen by 155.87%, with travellers flocking to East Lake and Wuhan University for their stunning cherry blossoms. Notably, ‘Wuhan cherry blossoms’ ranks among the top five search queries from international visitors, highlighting its growing appeal with more than 100 spots for cherry blossom viewing.

The Wellness and Alternative Accommodation Trend During Sakura Season

As the demand for off-the-beaten-path experiences grows, so does the rise in alternative accommodations and wellness tourism. Bookings for onsen ryokan and boutique hotels in lesser-known cherry blossom locations have surged, as visitors opt for serene, culturally immersive stays that offer breathtaking views away from the crowds.

In particular, scenic regions such as Mt. Fuji, Hakone, Takayama, and Shirakawa-go are seeing this rise in demand.

Luxury and boutique accommodations with private onsens, seasonal kaiseki cuisine, and mountainous scenery are particularly popular this year. Traditional stays like Mt. Fuji View Onsen Ooike Hotel, hot spring hotel Setsugetsuka in Hakone near the blossom-filled Hakone Gora Park, and traditional inn Onyado Yuinosho in Shirakawa-go are attracting visitors looking for an authentic Japanese experience paired with springtime beauty.

As for popular cities like Tokyo and Kyoto, accommodation preferences lean close to parks and rivers. According to Trip.Best* data, one of the most booked hotels is the luxurious The Tokyo Edition, Ginza, close to Hibiya Park, a peaceful cherry blossom spot. Similarly, Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo is close to Chidori-ga-fuchi, a picturesque 700-meter promenade along the Imperial Palace moat, famous for cherry blossoms.

In Kyoto, Trip.Best’s top-ranked Kamo Residences by Reflections is located near the Kamogawa River, offering stunning riverside views. Another top option is Dusit Thani Kyoto located near both Maruyama Park and the Philosopher’s Path—two of Kyoto’s prettiest sakura spots.

*Trip.Best is an AI-curated travel list on Trip.com that helps global travellers find the best experiences, including flights, hotels, attractions, restaurants, nightlife, and shows. It highlights the top 1% of products based on an algorithm that analyses user reviews and other data.

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SOURCE Trip.com Group

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Greenzie releases 2025 Annual Safety Report, documenting multi-year safety performance at commercial scale

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The data shows zero lost-time injuries, zero OSHA medical attentions and zero human near-misses across real-world operation

ATLANTA, April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Greenzie, the technology platform powering commercial autonomy across multiple OEMs, today shared multi-year safety data from real-world commercial operation, documenting more than 150,000 autonomous miles with zero lost-time injuries, zero OSHA medical attentions and zero human near-misses. The data is published in Greenzie’s 2025 Annual Safety Report, available at greenzie.com/safety.

The report is based on extensive operational data spanning more than 5.4 billion square feet of turf mowed, 68,000+ hours of autonomous mowing and more than 50,000 operator days, the equivalent of 265 mowing seasons.

“Greenzie is helping define safety in autonomous landscape operations, and transparency is a critical part of that,” said Steve Bush, chief operating officer of Greenzie. “These results show that commercial autonomy is operating safely at meaningful scale in the field. Transparency matters because as this category matures, real-world data helps build confidence in what responsible deployment looks like.”

The report’s findings are particularly significant in the context of the U.S. landscaping industry, which employs roughly 1.3 million workers and experiences a higher-than-average rate of workplace accidents compared to other fields. Greenzie’s multi-year operating data shows that autonomy is not theoretical; it is already being deployed consistently and performing safely at scale.

“Greenzie Powered Autonomy™ has been validated through years of sustained use in the field,” Bush said. “That level of real-world performance reinforces both the reliability of our platform and the broader readiness of commercial autonomy.”

Greenzie attributes this performance to a disciplined safety approach that includes robust perception, tested operating standards and continuous validation in real-world commercial environments.

For more information about Greenzie, visit greenzie.com.

About Greenzie

Founded in 2018, Greenzie is the technology platform powering commercial autonomy. Created to solve the landscape industry’s labor and productivity challenges, Greenzie works with leading equipment manufacturers to deliver the software, navigation and safety systems that enable mowing and other outdoor power equipment to operate autonomously in real-world commercial environments. Today, Greenzie’s platform is running on hundreds of machines in active use, helping manufacturers bring autonomy to market and allowing operators to get more done with limited labor—moving autonomy from early experimentation to everyday operations. For more information, visit greenzie.com.

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SOURCE Greenzie

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CGI renews global SAP S/4HANA operations and SAP BTP operations certifications, reinforcing its consistent, quality delivery at scale

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MONTRÉAL, April 23, 2026 /CNW/ – CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, announced that it has achieved the following recertifications for its global operation capabilities:

SAP S/4HANA operations and works with RISE with SAP SAP BTP operations and works with RISE with SAP

These recertifications highlight CGI’s ability to deliver consistent, high-quality managed SAP services and operations across regions, including services aligned with RISE with SAP. CGI’s SAP-based services help clients reduce operational risk, improve performance and efficiency and scale transformation with greater predictability. This also builds on CGI’s SAP alliance relationship momentum, including its recent AWS SAP Competency Partner status which highlights CGI’s expertise in modernizing mission-critical SAP workloads with AI-enabled cloud solutions.

“Running SAP at enterprise scale requires a partner with proven capabilities, delivery discipline and the ability to innovate securely, including through the integration of AI to deliver tangible outcomes,” said Didier Thérond, President, CGI France operations, and Global Executive Sponsor for CGI’s partnership with SAP. “These global recertifications reinforce CGI’s end-to-end SAP capabilities, including AI-enabled services, helping clients operate mission-critical systems with confidence and advance their modernization and cloud strategies.”

“CGI remains a trusted partner in our SAP Operations Partner program, consistently demonstrating a structured and disciplined approach to certification,” said Rudolf Scheipers, VP, Head of SAP Operations Partner Certification, SAP Partner Innovation Lifecycle Services. “These recertifications highlight the company’s mature operating model and commitment to the high standards we expect globally, ensuring clients running SAP environments can rely on consistent, secure, and efficient operations.”

CGI’s global alliance strategy features partnerships with more than 150 technology companies and supports its local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network. Through its SAP alliance, CGI helps organizations accelerate innovation, deploy and manage SAP solutions globally, and deliver industry-specific business outcomes with rapid, scalable, and AI-enabled cloud and ERP services.

About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 94,000 consultants and professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. CGI Fiscal 2025 reported revenue is CA$15.91 billion and CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com.

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SOURCE CGI Inc.

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Scholastic Corporation Announces Final Results of Modified Dutch Auction Tender Offer

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NEW YORK, April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Scholastic Corporation (the “Company” or “Scholastic”) (Nasdaq: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education and media company, today announced the final results of its “modified Dutch Auction” tender offer for shares of its common stock, which expired at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on April 20, 2026.

Based on the final count by Computershare Trust Company, N.A., the depositary for the tender offer, a total of 2,834,018 shares of Scholastic’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share (each share of Scholastic’s common stock, a “Share,” and collectively, “Shares”), were properly tendered and not properly withdrawn at or below the purchase price of $40.00 per Share, including 989,343 Shares that were tendered by notice of guaranteed delivery.

Scholastic has accepted for purchase a total of 2,834,018 Shares through the tender offer at a price of $40.00 per Share, for an aggregate cost of $113,360,720.00, excluding fees and expenses relating to the tender offer.  The total of 2,834,018 Shares that Scholastic has accepted for purchase represents approximately 13.7% of the total number of Shares outstanding as of April 19,  2026.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as the dealer manager for the tender offer. Georgeson LLC served as the information agent. Holders of common stock who have questions or need information about the tender offer may call Georgeson LLC at (866) 539-9980 (toll free). Banks and brokers may call Georgeson at (866) 539-9980 or J.P. Morgan Securities LLC at (877) 371-5947 (toll free).

About Scholastic 

For more than 100 years, Scholastic Corporation (Nasdaq: SCHL) has been meeting children where they are – at school, at home and in their communities – by creating quality content and experiences, all beginning with literacy. Scholastic delivers stories, characters, and learning moments that empower all kids to become lifelong readers and learners through bestselling children’s books, literacy- and knowledge-building resources for schools including classroom magazines, and award-winning, entertaining children’s media. As the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books through school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom libraries, school and public libraries, retail, and online, and with a global reach into more than 135 countries, Scholastic encourages the personal and intellectual growth of all children, while nurturing a lifelong relationship with reading, themselves, and the world around them. Learn more at www.scholastic.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including the conditions of the children’s book and educational materials markets generally and acceptance of the Company’s products within those markets, and other risks and factors identified from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated.

SCHL: Financial

 

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SOURCE Scholastic Corporation

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