Cherry blossoms are in full bloom in various places. Many people are trying to enjoy cherry blossom viewing, which they had refrained from due to the Corona disaster, for the first time in four years, and the houseboats in Tokyo where you can enjoy eating and drinking while looking at the cherry blossoms are almost full with reservations.

A company in Koto-ku, Tokyo, which operates houseboats, has a two-and-a-half-hour tour course where you can enjoy eating and drinking while looking at the cherry blossom trees and Sky Tree along the Sumida River.

Due to the Corona disaster, the number of customers did not return during the cherry blossom viewing season until last year, but this year it is full even on rainy days, and new reservations may have to be refused.

According to the operating company, the number of reservations this month is about 2.4 times higher than at the same time last year, which means that it has returned to the pre-Corona level.

A woman in her 5s who rode a houseboat for the first time said, "Unlike the cherry blossoms you see on the ground, the houseboat looked like cherry blossoms flowing, and I was very satisfied to feel the spring-like feeling."

Koichi Yasuda of Harumiya said, "We were worried that houseboats would not be accepted as they are due to the long Corona disaster, but we had many customers come and feel that spring has arrived for the first time in four years."

Some companies encourage interaction between employees and business partners.

Some companies are calling for holding cherry blossom viewing with the cost of securing funds so that they can use it as a place for employees to interact with each other and business partners, which have decreased due to the corona disaster.

At a company in Tokyo that operates an EC site for miscellaneous goods for women, remote work has increased due to the Corona disaster, and face-to-face work with business partners has also decreased.

Therefore, this company decided to secure the cost of holding the event as a "hanami allowance" in the hope that the cherry blossom viewing would be used as a place for exchange.

There is also a desire to reduce the burden on employees amid rising prices.

On the 24th, during the lunch break, seven employees, including employees, went cherry blossom viewing at a nearby park, taking pictures and talking under the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

Food and beverage expenses were paid for by the "hanami allowance," so in the future, they would like to plan company trips to see the cherry blossoms.

An employee in his 7s who participated said, "It was a lot of fun to be able to talk directly with everyone and learn about their private life and recent situation, and I feel that we have become closer, so I feel like I can work hard from now on."

Zhu Jingyi, president of the e-commerce site operator "rainboww," said, "We held the event at noon because we are a company with many women, so we wanted employees to be able to communicate easily.

There is also a movement to use AI to analyze and transmit congestion conditions

At famous cherry blossom spots visited by many people, it is expected that some people will be concerned about the infection of the new corona, and there is a movement to analyze the congestion situation using AI = artificial intelligence and transmit it.

In and around Chidorigafuchi Greenway, one of the famous cherry blossom viewing spots in Tokyo, the "Chiyoda Sakura Festival" is being held for the first time in four years, and it is expected that about 1 million people will visit over 4 days, which is close to the level before Corona.

However, since many people gather, it is expected that some people will be worried about corona infection, so the Chiyoda City Tourism Association decided to install a camera equipped with AI = artificial intelligence at the venue from this year to analyze the congestion situation and transmit it.

The camera recognizes people passing by, aggregates the data of the number of people, divides the congestion situation of each of the three points into four stages, and reports it on the website of the Tourism Association.

If visitors can avoid concentrating on specific places by referring to this, it will lead to infection control and will also help prevent crowded street accidents like the one that occurred in South Korea last year.

In addition, the camera also analyzes the time that visitors stay in the same place, so that we can understand the points where retention is likely to occur and reflect this in future security systems.

Mari Yamazaki, deputy secretary general of the Chiyoda City Tourism Association, said, "We have decided to use an AI camera so that everyone can enjoy cherry blossom viewing with peace of mind.

"Reusable cups" as a measure against abandoned waste

At famous cherry blossom spots in Tokyo, an initiative has begun to provide drinks in cups that can be used repeatedly, as the amount of unattended garbage is expected to increase due to the recovery of people from the corona disaster.

Along the Meguro River in Tokyo, about 300 million people visited during the cherry blossom viewing period before Corona, while the amount of garbage left in the vicinity was more than 7,500 tons.

As the number of people recovering this year is expected to increase the amount of abandoned garbage, organizations engaged in urban development activities have started an initiative to provide disposable cups in reusable cups at riverside plazas where kitchen cars and other vehicles gather during the period.

In order to prevent the cup from being left unattended, 500 yen is deposited when you receive it, and 20 yen is returned when you return it at the end.

In addition to the plaza, if you use this cup at a restaurant that cooperates with the initiative, you can receive a discount.

A woman in her <>s who used the cup said, "It feels good to see the beautiful cherry blossoms and think that they are contributing to not producing garbage."

Tsuyoshi Otsuka, secretary general of Nakam Area Management, said, "While we are happy that the bustle has returned, garbage and pollution of the town are issues, and we would like to prevent the problem of neglected garbage by taking these measures.