櫻花季已經到來，但為了防止新冠病毒傳播，日本取消了全國範圍內的賞櫻活動，這給經濟造成了很大影響。而在中國，武漢大學邀請大家在線賞櫻，網友們在賞櫻的同時也紛紛表達了對武漢的美好祝願。
Sakura, or cherry blossoms, are in full bloom in a park in Osaka, Japan. [Photo/IC]
The people of Japan and millions of tourists should now be enjoying the start of the cherry blossom viewing, or hanami, season.
日本民眾和數百萬遊客現在本應開始享受櫻花觀賞季（日語中稱為「花見」）。
It's an extremely important time of year for the country, both economically and culturally.
無論在經濟上還是文化上，這都是日本一年中極為重要的時刻。
Traditionally friends and family get together, and for a new generation it's a perfect Instagram opportunity.
按照傳統，親友們此時會聚在一起，對於年輕一代來說，這是一個在Ins秀照片的完美時機。
But this year the coronavirus pandemic means events have been cancelled and foreign visitors are staying away.
但今年的新冠肺炎疫情意味著賞櫻活動被取消，外國遊客也不會到來。
Katsuhiro Miyamoto from Kansai University highlighted the financial importance of hanami: "Japan's cherry blossom season has very big economic effects every year".
關西大學的宮本克弘強調了「花見」（賞櫻）在經濟上的重要性：「日本每年的櫻花盛開季節都會對經濟產生非常大的影響。」
Cherry blossom in front of Toji temple, Kyoto, Japan. [Photo/VCG]
He estimated that almost 8.5m tourists visited the country during the cherry blossom season between March and May last year, bringing in some 650 billion yen.
他估計，去年3月至5月的櫻花盛開季期間，日本接待了近850萬遊客，帶來了約6500億日元（約合人民幣415億元）的收入。
Seijiro Takeshita from the University of Shizuoka underscored why the gatherings, at which people eat and drink and make merry, are so important to the Japanese economy.
對於為什麼人們齊聚一堂吃喝歡宴的賞櫻聚會對日本經濟如此重要，靜岡縣立大學的竹下誠士郎如此解釋：
"We use an expression 'the wallet becomes loose', meaning people tend to have a very high propensity to spend."
「我們說『錢包鬆了』，意思是人們樂於消費。」
propensity[prpensti]：n.傾向，習性；癖好，偏愛
"We have so much emotional attachment to this flower and the viewing season... It has a lot of cultural factors, a lot of historical factors behind it," Professor Takeshita added as he explained the wider significance of the cherry blossom season.
「我們對櫻花和賞櫻季節有著如此多的情感依戀……這背後有多種文化因素和歷史因素，」竹下教授在解釋賞櫻季更廣泛的意義時補充道。
This year though hanami events are being cancelled across the country as authorities attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
但今年，由於政府試圖減緩新冠病毒的傳播，「花見」活動在日本全國範圍內被取消。
Last week the governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike urged people to not hold their traditional parties. At the same time Ms Koike made reference to the cultural importance of hanami as she said that it was like "taking hugs away from Italians."
上周，東京都知事小池百合子敦促人們不要舉行傳統的聚會。與此同時，小池百合子提到了「花見」在文化上的重要性，她說，這就像「讓義大利人不要擁抱」。
Professor Miyamoto expects such measures to tackle the pandemic will hit tourism numbers hard this season, with revenue falling by more than a third to less than 400 billion yen.
宮本教授預計，這些應對新冠肺炎疫情的措施將嚴重影響今年櫻花季的旅遊業，收入將減少逾三分之一，至不到4000億日元。
It's not all gloom and doom though. "Once the coronavirus outbreak is over, I believe that the cherry blossom season in Japan will come to life again," he concluded.
但也不全是悲觀和厄運。他總結道：「一旦疫情結束，我相信日本的櫻花盛開季節將會重現生機。」
[Photo/news.cgtn.com]
武漢大學在線賞櫻
On March 16, Wuhan University invited people to enjoy cherry blossoms online.
3月16日，武漢大學邀請人們在線賞櫻。
While appreciating the cherry blossoms, many netizens also left their best wishes for Wuhan on social media.
在欣賞櫻花的同時，許多網友也在社交媒體上表達了對武漢的美好祝願。
"When the outbreak passes, let's go see the cherry blossoms together!" one netizen commented. "Breathtaking blossoms, everything will be fine," said another.
一位網友評論道：「等疫情過去了，我們一起去看櫻花吧!」另一個人說：「美得令人窒息的花朵，一切都會好起來的。」
Although the live broadcast camera never moved, the cherry blossom viewing on Wuhan University's official Weibo account had been watched more than 4 million times by Monday evening.
雖然現場直播的攝像機固定不動，但截至周一（3月16日）晚上，武漢大學官方微博上的賞櫻視頻觀看量已達400多萬次。
讓我們一起再來看看美麗的櫻花：
英文來源：BBC、中國文化網
翻譯&編輯：yaning
來源：中國日報網