| “ | A beautiful Cherry Orchard which can be harvested for Food. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
The Cherry Orchard is a unique source of food for the Japanese in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties.
In-game information[]
| “ | The Cherry Orchard is a small, resource-rich building that is unique to the Japanese civilization. It is built from a rickshaw and provides Food that can be harvested by Villagers. | ” |
Overview[]
The Cherry Orchard works like a patch of Berry Bushes, as they're gathered at the same rate, and acts as a replacement for huntable animals and livestock which Japanese Villagers cannot gather food from. The Cherry Orchard starts out with 5,000 food and can only be built from its own Orchard Rickshaw, but is indestructible. A Japanese player starts with one (or two if there are no Berry Bushes near the starting Town Center) Orchard Rickshaw in every random map games and can ship six more from the Home City, giving them 35,000 (40,000) food in total.
The Cherry Orchard can prove to be a valuable asset in lieu of Rice Paddies when playing in maps lacking wood where the player wishes to conserve wood for other purposes, such as ship building and turtle strategies. Furthermore, the large amount of Orchards that can be shipped can support the player's food needs in the early Ages.
However, the Cherry Orchard requires moderate amounts of space in between each, thus requiring the player to spread out to greater extent. Players who are frequently in need of large amounts of food may not find the Cherry Orchard as a suitable source, or rather an addition to a current source as it is not infinite and can be quickly exhausted.
Only the player that owns them can gather from Cherry Orchards; allies and enemies cannot.
History[]
| “ | Since ancient times, flowers have played a meaningful part in Japanese culture, embodied in the art of flower viewing, or Hanami. It is believed that the Japanese borrowed this enjoyment of nature from the Chinese during the Nara Period (710-784), in which the Tang Dynasty heavily influenced Japanese way of life. The first flowering object of affection was the ume blossom, or the Asian plum, but over time the practice of hanami has become almost synonymous with the enjoyment of sakura, or cherry blossoms. Beginning in the Imperial Courts of Japan, events were often celebrated with festivities beneath the falling blossoms of the cherry tree. Such festivals spread to the samurai class and eventually the common people, since blossoming coincided well with the beginning of school years, fiscal schedules, and the general spring season. Even today, the weather forecast from March to early May is closely watched as it can dictate the successful planting and growth of that year's cherry blossoms. |
” |
Gallery[]
See also[]
| Resources in the Age of Empires series | |
|---|---|
| Common | Food · Wood · Gold/Coin · Stone* |
 Age of Mythology |  Favor |
 Age of Empires III |  XP ·  Export ·  Influence |
 Age of Empires IV |  Bounty ·  Vizier Point ·  Olive Oil ·  Supply |
| Extractable resource sources in the Age of Empires series | |
| Common | Tree · Gold Mine · Stone Mine* · Berry Bush · Farm (I · II · M · III · IV) · Animals (Fish · Herdable animal) |
 Age of Empires II |  Fish Trap ·  Oysters |
| Age of Mythology |  Dwarven Mine ·  Jade Mine |
| Age of Empires III |  Cherry Orchard ·  Coal Mine ·  Copper Mine ·  Crate ·  Diamond Mine ·  Estate ·  Field ·  Hacienda ·  Mango Grove ·  Mill ·  Rice Paddy ·  Rock · Salt Mine ·  Silver Mine · Tin Mine |
| Age of Empires IV |  Olive Grove |
| * not used in Age of Mythology and Age of Empires III | |