Cherry Blossoms 花見

  There is perhaps no better sign of spring beginning than seeing flowers bloom. Seeing that first flower open lets you know that winter is finally over, and that life is coming back to the world. The advent of spring in Japan however, is less a subtle opening of one or two daffodils, and more a massive explosion of pink that sweeps over the country-side like some kind festively decorated army. Of course I’m talking about Sakura, the famous Japanese Cherry Blossoms, that cover the landscape of Japan from starting from late March to early May.

  咲いている花ほどの春のきざしはないと思います。最初開けた花を見ると、冬が終わって、世界がすぐ生き返るということを知らせます。しかし日本で春の訪れは花一個か二個が開くことよりピンクの爆発できざしされます。もちろんこれは桜の話をしています。

  Long considered an important symbol of Japan, Sakura trees exist in great numbers everywhere from Okinawa to Hokkaido, and their flowering is met with much rejoicing and excitement. When the Sakura trees are in full bloom, many Japanese go out and enjoy hanami, literally, “flower viewing.” Hanami can range from a relaxing stroll under some Sakura trees to a rowdy picnic and party in a park, but whatever the method, the practice is extremely popular in Japan.

長い間大切なシンボルと思われている桜は沖縄から北海道まで多数あるが、開花期は興奮して受け入れられます。そして桜が満開になると、多くの方が花見に行きます。花見はのんびり散歩から騒々しいピックニックとパーティーまでもあるが、どんな方法であれ、日本では大人気な瞬間です。

  Since the weather was so nice this past weekend, a friend and I trekked down to Nara to wander around and do some Hanami. We were clearly far from the only ones with this idea though, as Nara city was jam-packed with people enjoying the Sakura and weather.

  先週末天気は凄く良かったから、友達と一緒に奈良で花見しに行きました。行こうと思っていたのは私らだけじゃなくて、奈良市が桜といい天気を楽しむ人達でにぎわっていました。

  Seika has quite a few Sakura trees as well, and they’ve even bloomed in front of the Town Office.

  精華町に桜が結構多いし、精華町役場前にも咲いていました。

京都市でのお花見 Flower Viewing in Kyoto

そして、大阪城公園に行った翌日に伝統的な京都市でお花見をしに行きました。祗園で舞妓さんを見かけて、桜もきれいだったし、とても楽しかったです。丸山公園の桜も満開で、人がいっぱいでした。

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Then the day after I went to Osaka Castle Park I went to traditional Kyoto City to do some more flower viewing. In Gion I saw some Maiko, and the cherry blossoms there were also very beautiful. In Maruyama Park, the flowers were also in full bloom so there were a lot of people.

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大阪城でのお花見 Flower Viewing at Osaka Castle

先週末の良い天気のかげで、今年初花見ができました。土曜日の昼頃友達と一緒に大阪城公園に行きました。もちろん、お花見をする人々が多かったが、その上、公園の中コンサートもあったので、すごい人いっぱいでした。でも、桜が満開だったし、温かかったし、完璧でした。お花見の楽しい雰囲気があるので、一年中この季節が一番いいと思います。

Thanks to the nice weather of this past weekend I was able to go for my first flower viewing party of the year. On Saturday afternoon I went with my friends to Osaka Castle Park. Of course there were a lot of people there to enjoy the cherry blossoms, but there was also a concert in the park too so it was so crowded. But the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and the weather was warm so it was perfect. Because of fun atmosphere of flower viewing I think this is the best time of year.

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Cherry Blossom Viewing (Ohanami) Part II

While this past Saturday I had the chance to see some beautiful cherry blossoms in Kyoto it wasn’t a real ohanami party. But on Sunday I meet up with a bunch of friends at the Osaka Castle Park for a full fledged ohanami party. Sunday was also overcast and it threatened to rain a few times, but it was really warm and the sakura were really going in the park which surrounds the Osaka Castle.

We had BBQs going, and a really talented musician friend brought his guitar so there was lots of fun to be had. We stayed until dusk when it finally started raining but the flowers were so beautiful and we were having so much fun that nobody seemed to mind the rain that much.

Cherry Blossom Viewing (Ohanami) Part I

The highly anticipated cherry blossom viewing season is finally upon us! In just the last week the weather has made a dramatic shift from cold and bitter winter to warm and sunny spring. Ushering in spring is my favorite part of living in Japan; cherry blossom viewing which is called ohanami in Japanese. Almost everywhere you look you can see beautiful white and pink sakura (cherry blossoms). Parks, streets, rivers, and temples are usually lined with sakura trees so for the short lived two weeks or so that they are blossoming everything looks even more gorgeous. But as much as I love the beauty of it all the real reason why I love this time of year is for the ohanami parties.

Most often held in parks, a ohanami party involves food, friends, drinks, nice weather, beautiful scenery and lots of fun. Everyone brings out a big blue tarp and lays it out on the grass underneath the cherry blossom trees with BBQ, snacks and drinks. Its totally acceptable to drink beer or anything else in the park and people often bring music and games as well. For the next couple of weeks I will be trying to enjoy the sakura and ohanami parties as much as possible and I will surely end up with hundreds of photos of the flowers and fun which I will post here for all to see!

My first opportunity came this past Saturday when I went with a friend to Maruyama Park in Kyoto City. It was a really warm day even though it was cloudy. The sakura were not in full bloom yet but there were still plenty of blossoms to see. Also just walking around Kawaramachi and Gion in Kyoto there were plenty of beautiful sites and photos to be taken everywhere you look.