It’s sakura season in Japan – sakura means cherry blossom, and the flowers are blooming in Tokyo and elsewhere. More important, plenty of cherry blossom-flavored sweets are hitting the markets. Here in New York, cherry blossom mochi (a rice flour dessert filled with red bean paste) can be found in most Japanese markets, but Cha-An, a tiny Japanese teahouse in the East Village, is serving more creative confections. Sakura-flavored ice cream ($6.50) is a pale green, unlike the soft pink mochi: Chef Kato Tomoko uses both flowers and leaves to flavor the ice cream, which tastes like vanilla and coconut with a whiff of herbs. Ms. Tomoko also serves a sakura flan ($6.50) with a dab of red bean sauce on the side. The flan is milkier and more delicate than traditional European caramel flans, and the blossom’s whispery herbal flavor is more pronounced than in the ice cream. The various white teas that Cha-An serves complement the desserts without overwhelming their flavors. If you’re in the mood for something more savory, Sumile Restaurant will be serving a sakura-themed tasting menu ($65) from April 4 through April 18, featuring kanpachi (yellowtail) sashimi with cherry blossom leaves and a cherry-glazed Peking duck. For now, though, a bowl of sakura ice cream with a cup of tea is a lovely way to ring in spring.

Cha-An, 230 E. 9th St. at Third Avenue, 212-228-8030; Sumile, 154 W. 13th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 212-989-7699; Sakura mochi can be found at Sunrise Mart (4 Stuyvesant St. at Third Avenue, no. 2, 212-598-3040) for $2.50.