Cherry Blossoms | お花見

Ah, Spring has finally come, and with it the incomparable beauty that is the blooming cherry trees of Japan. 花見 (hanami), or literally “flower viewing”, is ultimately one of the primary reasons I came to Japan in the Spring, and I’m quite sure I came just at the right time!

Hanami is quite the occasion to get excited about in Japan, and as a result is popular with all sorts of people. It’s a time to go out with friends and chat while taking in the beauty nature has to offer. It’s a time to pack a bento lunchbox or bring snacks and drink to sit outside and feast under the blossoms. It’s a time to be savored and forget about the rushes and pressure of daily life.

  

At a typical hanami location, one can typically find a variety of groups enjoying the sights, ranging from small families, people with pets, couples, or even spots where numerous coworkers will lay out a large tarp and take a break from work. Among the spots I visited were Osaka Castle, Sakura No Miya, where it is said more than 5000 cherry trees flank the river in downtown Osaka, and Arashiyama in Kyoto, where I went for a special form of hanami called 夜桜 (yozakura), or night sakura.

Food and drink comprise a big part essential to the enjoyment of hanami. It’s not uncommon to find a buffet of delicious treats, ranging from sushi, chips, cake, cheese, and so on. And lest we forget the all important 日本酒 (nihonshu), or Japanese sake. Among the choicest of beverages is also 梅酒 (umeshu), or plum wine, which one can find somewhat comically in large paper cartons, much like one would expect milk to be in.

日本人は何をしますか。 | What Do Japanese People Do?

When asked what members of a certain culture do, it’s easy to dwell on the stereotypical activities unique to that country. If you were to think of dances in Lederhosen, the first country that might come to mind would be Germany. If you were to think of ice hockey, you might think, “Oh, Canada.” Distinguishing cultures through typical or commonly-associated images is quite easy, but what goes beyond that is finding that in essence, countries all around the world engage in basically the same activities despite the presented façade of country-specific activities.

Children from Japan enjoy candy and games just as much as any other child from around the world. While the juxtaposition of this traditional Mexican game in the context of a Japanese park may seem at odds upon first glance, it quite clearly goes to show that one’s cultural roots and the activities one engages in have no concrete connection.

Adults, regardless of where they are from, are similar as well. Here, one can see a pedestrian-only section of the Ginza shopping district in Tokyo and gather that these people, much like many members of the rest of the world, enjoy shopping and walking around commercial areas, if to do nothing more than window shop or bear witness to the bustling urban areas of Tokyo.

In the same vein, people enjoy finding those small idiosyncrasies of life that make them stop and take a second look. Surely, while shopping downtown you don’t expect two find two cats posing motionlessly on an electrical box, but when you do, why not stop?

Sightseeing is also a widely enjoyed pastime. As is indulging in the latest fashions.

Lastly, people from all over the world love spectacle. While it may be called the Japanese National Sport (apart from baseball, of course), Sumo can be enjoyed regardless of where you come from.