Sakura (cherry blossoms) season in Japan is one of the most magical things ever. It is going on now and I am so sad to be missing it. This week we were supposed to be in Kyoto staying at this amazing machiya with my mother-in-law. Instead we are hanging out poolside in Clearwater, Florida not under the fleetingly beautiful cherry blossoms but under a haze of oak tree pollen and palm trees.
Brad however is still in Japan and last weekend he and his friend Tom went to Tokyo to have a hanami of their own. Hanami simply translates into flower (hana) viewing but really means sitting under the sakura in a crazy crowded park on a tarp eating lots of food and drinking lots of beer and or sake. There is nothing quite like watching the usually very reserved Japanese people cutting loose in outdoor debauchery. This year however signs were posted in the parks asking people not to hanami due to the tragedies in Tohoku. Thankfully Tom's wife Amanda had somehow seen these signs from her exile in LA and was able to warn Brad and Tom before they showed up in Ueno Park looking to party. I had visions of the two gaijin (stupid foreigners) sticking out like sore thumbs in their big bodies and casual dress (most people who are in the parks in Tokyo come from work wearing their black suits) and behaving, well like drunk Americans. Cultural embarrassment was averted and the partying was kept to minimum, thanks to Amanda.
This is from another gaijin blog tinyplasticfood:
"Even though it's 花見 (hanami, cherry-blossom viewing) season, there are only a fraction of the usual amount of people in the big city parks like Inokashira, Yoyogi and Ueno, due mostly to the general bleak mood and for respect of the Tohoku victims. The local governments in some areas of Tokyo however went one step further and put out so-called 「花見自粛」(o-hanami jishuku) boards in the most popular parks, including Inokashira and Ueno.
Jishuku is an extremely Japanese word among Japanese words, meaning essentially"self-restraint", but also the old custom of going into self-inflicted exile/social retreat when caught in a misdemeanor or faux pas. (E.g. All Japanese politicians who quit when the going gets tough; pop stars/idols/"talents" who drop out of the limelight for a few months when caught doing something unsavoury)."
Too bad Jishuku isn't practiced in the USA!
Anyway Brad and some friends did go to the park and people were there having their hanami, but it was much more subdued and less crowded than in previous years.
Ueno Park hanami 2010
Night time hanami - yozakura
A few years ago Brad and I found a park in Yokosuka, Tsukukayama Park, that had night time sakura viewing. It will remain as one of my favorite Japan memories. We climbed and climbed up a mountain (yama means mountain, so the name of the park told us to wear sensible shoes) following lit pink lanterns to this lovely park that overlooks Yokosuka Harbor and had our own yozakura amongst thousands of better prepared people. Later we learned that the park was a memorial to Miura Anjin (Miura the peninsula we live on and anjin means pilot) who inspired the character in Shogun! He had been given that land as a fiefdom from the Shogun.
Sakura decorations in Asakusa, Tokyo.
Special sakura garbage bins. These are special not only because of the blossoms on them, but the fact that they are there at all. Usually parks do not have garbage cans as you are expected to carry out your own garbage. During sakura seasoon bins like these start showing up in the bigger parks.
Sakura man hole cover
Sakura Scooby Doo
Seasonal sakura dango (smooshed sweet rice balls on sticks)
Sakura KitKat - people don't really eat sakura in fact the trees are completely decorative and don't even produce cherries so this isn't sakura flavored but it's actually matcha (green powdered tea) flavored.
Keep praying for my beloved host country!
Your post reminds me of the time when we last visited Japan.
We've been there for a week and everything about it is just awesome.
We're planning to visit there soon when our schedule will allow us.
Posted by: Jhunas Tillero | May 19, 2011 at 05:37 AM
Hello! I found your blog via the Japan Blog List and I have a question for you.
As I am moving to Japan in the coming months I am making a list of places to go and things to do while in Japan. I would like to make a similar list for my blog featuring other Japan bloggers.
All I ask of you is to send a paragraph (or more if you'd like) explaining your favorite part of Japan and why, maybe include a picture of it if you'd like. Just send me an email at [email protected] with your reply (or questions) and I'd love to feature you!
Thanks, I look forward to hearing from you!
Posted by: Kaley | June 10, 2011 at 10:30 AM
Where in Yokosuka is the yozakura park? I'm here for hanami with my boyfriend and would like to find it, but I can't find a listing except your blog.
Posted by: Nicole | March 23, 2013 at 03:25 PM
We went to Tsukayama Park to view night time sakura. Take the KQ train North to Anjinzuka Station and follow the flags and lamps up the mountain. Have fun! Bring food and drinks.
Posted by: shannon | March 24, 2013 at 08:45 AM