Hanami

Imagine, a warm spring day, about 65 degrees F, mostly cloudy but no real threat of rain; the perfect day for a ball game or a picnic lunch.

The Japanese have a perfect answer for these kind of days: Hanami - party under the blossoms.

Hanami are hugely popular in Japan; the opportunity to join friends for a picnic lunch or dinner and a traditional bottle of sake under the delicate canopy of sakura (cherry blossoms), to relax and bask in the majesty of Spring with friends and family, is the perfect way to spend a beautiful spring evening. And according to a recent article I found on Yahoo News, predicting the exact days of peak viewing is becoming more and more important as business people try to pick the best days to take off from work.

And today was a great day to take off. It is no wonder why the Japanese have adopted the sakura as a national symbol.

I only spent a couple of hours in Tsurumai Park in Nagoya today, but it was more than enough to gather the feeling of relaxation and festivity that filled the park along with the crowd. Stretched out under the trees everywhere were blue plastic tarpaulines to stake a claim on prime viewing/dining spots for those coming later. Children played baseball and soccer in a nearby field, or threw stones into a fountain. Older kids played frisbee. Adults lounged under the trees talking and joking and eating. Dozens of food stands lined the pathways, selling delicious takoyaki, okonomiyaki, grilled corn-on-the-cob, and squid-on-a-stick.

And above them were the beautiful white blossoms, clumped together like snow in winter, from literally hundreds of trees. It was a unbelievable sight. The closest thing I can relate it to, the whole experience I mean, is maybe a spring picnic, or maybe a cool Fourth of July, minus the blaring music. These three pictures are just a representation of the sixty I took today. "Amazing" doesn't even begin to describe it.

The best part: I'm going to Kyoto tomorrow to do the same thing again. Rock on.