Hanami - Cherry blossom viewing

For me, spring on paper is a lot nicer than the climactic reality. The winds, the rains, the generally unpredictable weather… but for two short weeks I can forgive (well, almost) the fact that the conditions have turned my hair into a giant ball of frizz, because for two very short weeks the cherry blossoms are in bloom.

In Japan you don’t have to go out of your way to see sakura (cherry blossoms). City planners, companies, and your neighboors have planted these trees along the roads, along the rivers, and in pretty much every park so that, when spring comes around, there’s an explosion of pink flowers that everyone can marvel at.

Hanami (hana = flower, mi = to see) is a national pastime, most commonly enjoyed on a picnic or at a barbecue with family and friends, coworkers or classmates. Pick the lushest, pinkest sakura tree, roll out a plastic sheet, lay out some food, and drink yourself silly. Some would argue, hanami parties are just drinking parties with a better view—that is, if you can still see straight. Japanese in general like to drink and make merry but this year hanami was a lot more sober (in every sense of the word) due to recent tragic events in North-eastern Japan. In fact, many parties were cancelled altogether. I went ahead with my picnic, though. Looking up at the multitude of sakura only one month after a major disaster, I’m astounded that the force of nature extends even to these delicate flowers.

Views of Kokura Castle through the sakura.