As many of you know, the national flower of Japan is “桜” (さくら, Sakura), cherry blossom. But do you know that there’s another one? “菊” (きく, Kiku), chrysanthemum is also Japan’s national flower.

Cherry blossom and chrysanthemum have different meanings and roles as national flower. Cherry blossom is symbol of Japanese culture. On the other hand, chrysanthemum is symbol of the emperor of Japan and the imperial family. They’ve used the image of chrysanthemum as the imperial crest for a long time.