Is there a link between Japan's obsession for the seasons and high urban population ?

[Maciamo]

Emoni, I agree with you that the Japanese have "worshiped" nature for ages with Shinto, and that Hanami dates back to the Heian period. However, it was mostly the elite who went on such pleasance trips to watch the cherry blossoms and autumn leaves. What's more, some European countries also have a tradition of strong connection with nature (e.g. pagans and neo-pagans in Britain). But there isn't such a media-sponsored tourism industry around it (and this is new in Japan). Why ? Because most Westerners (and especially the British) have their own garden, or can enjoy nature in their city's numerous parks (London has so many public parks compared to Tokyo). So the Japanese have no other choice by go far away and maybe stay for a night or two, just to admire nature.

[Emoni]

Emoni, I agree with you that the Japanese have "worshiped" nature for ages with Shinto, and that Hanami dates back to the Heian period. However, it was mostly the elite who went on such pleasance trips to watch the cherry blossoms and autumn leaves. What's more, some European countries also have a tradition of strong connection with nature (e.g. pagans and neo-pagans in Britain). But there isn't such a media-sponsored tourism industry around it (and this is new in Japan). Why ? Because most Westerners (and especially the British) have their own garden, or can enjoy nature in their city's numerous parks (London has so many public parks compared to Tokyo). So the Japanese have no other choice by go far away and maybe stay for a night or two, just to admire nature.

For most of societies it was the elite or upper class that produced fine art, the lower class or peasants were too busy struggling to survive to take the time to look at a tree and draw it, let alone afford the materials to create such art. This tendency even follows the good old "hierarchy of needs" in psychology.

As for the "trips" to admire nature; I'm not strong nature person myself, but even I am tempted to make a spur of the moment trip to Hokkaido to see the trees from the pictures I've seen. There are some REALLY wonderful sites in Japan if you love nature, even if you only casually observe it is easy to appreciate. There seem to be numerous places where one can explore nature in Japan, but it is the significant events that seems to draw the most attention, not an urge to see a tree after being around too many people. I know very few American’s who maintain gardens, and if you look at cities like New York or LA, I don’t see an increased desire to appreciate nature.

I dunno, I can't really see population having to do much with a desire to appreciate nature. I see it as more of a cultural and geographical reason. Look at India, they have some of the most crowded spots in the world right now and there isn't nearly as strong desire to go on nature trips as in Japan.

We need more "Nihonjin" perspective on this I think!

[lexico]

What you say brings back memories of yore when me and my stone wielding grandpop used to go to the quarries to look for obsidian. With the improved microliths, we would yield more game for less investing in tool-making with obsidian than flint which was way too difficult to work on, and we would have more offspring for the increased meats from the hunts and the grains and corded pottery we traded with the seed gathering hills folks. But then, we had leisure, for after dusk all laborious toil would cease, and there would be only eating, story-telling, and making merry; we would count the stars lying under our bear furs till the slumber. Those were the days when man and nature lived hand in hand, when there was no need to go on an outing for we lived right in the middle of it. That was before the city. The modern fascination with nature is, as you pointed out, a fashion of the upper class that spread to the commoners since the age of romanticism, another man-made practice. It could be said the idea gave the city dwellers the itch. Hannibal Lecter quotes, one covets what one sees; I say one covets what one thinks. I might also say there is a connection to the foreign ideas of the great westernising period; Return to nature !

[Maciamo]

There are some REALLY wonderful sites in Japan if you love nature, even if you only casually observe it is easy to appreciate.

Yes, I do not deny that and also appreciate them.

I know very few American’s who maintain gardens, and if you look at cities like New York or LA, I don’t see an increased desire to appreciate nature.

Well, that may be a inter-Western cultural difference (there are hundreds of them). Belgian and British people tend to love gardening. In fact, there was a Japanese-style pond with a Japanese momiji and European cherry tree (among many other trees, bushes and flowers) in my house when I was a child. I think Belgians and Brits have at least as much interests in nature, plants, trees, etc. as the Japanese. In fact, few people would be happy to have a house without a nice, well-tended garden, with parterres, flowers around the house, etc.

Maybe that's why they don't need to go far away to enjoy nature. In such small countries anyway, I would be unthinkable to take the place for 1000km (e.g. Kansai to Hokkaido, or Belgium to Italy/Norway) just to see autumn leaves, as the Japanese do. I wonder if as many Japanese would do such things (travel to Hokkaido to watch koyo) if the media did not advertise for it so much. Japanese people tend to be easily influenced by publicity, and once something becomes popular, everybody follows.

Look at India, they have some of the most crowded spots in the world right now and there isn't nearly as strong desire to go on nature trips as in Japan.

That's because there very little nature to comtemplate in India (and no seasons, except in the distant Himalayan region). I travelled 5 months around India, and I couldn't find any notable natural attraction. As you said, it's very crowded. But it's also dry, with deserts (that would be the best "natural attarction") in the West, with some jungle in the East, but mostly cultivated plains with just a few trees here and there.