2012年04月24日
Hanami
I arrived in Japan in April 1978, in the height of cherry blossom season. I remember being taken aback by the boisterous crowds of people picnicking (and playing and singing and even dancing) under any cherry tree they could find.
Thirty-four years later I'm glad to see this ancient rite called "hanami" still persists. From mid-February on, the national news keeps viewers informed of when they can expect the cherries to blossom.
Stopping to smell the flowers
And when they do (usually in late March and early April), families, friends, students, blue and white collar workers, well, everybody and even their dogs, grab lunch or dinner and head out to their favorite park or tree-lined path.
There are many great "hanami" spots in Takamatsu, but probably the top draw is Ritsurin Garden. Not only does it have 350 cherry trees but it also has lots of room to spread out and picnic,
vendors selling food and drink,
musical performances and floodlights at night for yozakura viewing.
Picnicking is popular where I come from, too, but the communal nature of Japanese hanami, the way everybody is out there, literally in the thousands!, specifically to enjoy the cherry blossoms, feels quite different.
Part of it must be little Japanese touches like neat rows of shoes by picnic mats.
But perhaps it's also due to the custom's origins. In ancient times, Japanese people went out into the fields in the spring to 'eat with the gods' and welcome them back to the land after the barren winter. Leaving their houses empty for a day also cleansed their homes of any bad luck or impurity. The flower viewed in those days was the plum and, at first, only the aristocracy shared feasts of food and poetry under the blossoms. During the Edo period, however, commoners joined in and the custom has continued to this day.
Modern cherry blossom viewers still come prepared to stay and relax!
During this season, stores sell special hanami lunches and hanami sweets. In Ritsurin, I enjoyed sakura (cherry) cake and coffee in a little hideaway located in the Sanuki Folk Art Museum inside the east entrance. It's tucked away behind some other buildings.
The cherry blossom season is extremely short (1 to 2 weeks) so enjoy it if you're lucky enough to be here then.
Thirty-four years later I'm glad to see this ancient rite called "hanami" still persists. From mid-February on, the national news keeps viewers informed of when they can expect the cherries to blossom.
Stopping to smell the flowers
And when they do (usually in late March and early April), families, friends, students, blue and white collar workers, well, everybody and even their dogs, grab lunch or dinner and head out to their favorite park or tree-lined path.
There are many great "hanami" spots in Takamatsu, but probably the top draw is Ritsurin Garden. Not only does it have 350 cherry trees but it also has lots of room to spread out and picnic,
vendors selling food and drink,
musical performances and floodlights at night for yozakura viewing.
Picnicking is popular where I come from, too, but the communal nature of Japanese hanami, the way everybody is out there, literally in the thousands!, specifically to enjoy the cherry blossoms, feels quite different.
Part of it must be little Japanese touches like neat rows of shoes by picnic mats.
But perhaps it's also due to the custom's origins. In ancient times, Japanese people went out into the fields in the spring to 'eat with the gods' and welcome them back to the land after the barren winter. Leaving their houses empty for a day also cleansed their homes of any bad luck or impurity. The flower viewed in those days was the plum and, at first, only the aristocracy shared feasts of food and poetry under the blossoms. During the Edo period, however, commoners joined in and the custom has continued to this day.
Modern cherry blossom viewers still come prepared to stay and relax!
During this season, stores sell special hanami lunches and hanami sweets. In Ritsurin, I enjoyed sakura (cherry) cake and coffee in a little hideaway located in the Sanuki Folk Art Museum inside the east entrance. It's tucked away behind some other buildings.
The cherry blossom season is extremely short (1 to 2 weeks) so enjoy it if you're lucky enough to be here then.
My Profile
Cathy Hirano キャシー ヒラノ
I've lived in Japan since 1978. After graduating from a Japanese university with a BA in cultural anthropology in 1983, I worked as a translator in a Japanese consulting engineering firm in Tokyo for several years. My Japanese husband and I moved to Takamatsu in 1987 to raise our two children in a slower-paced environment away from the big city pressures. We've never regretted it. I work as a freelance translator and interpreter and am involved in a lot of community work, including volunteering for Second Hand, a local NGO that supports educational and vocational training initiatives in Cambodia, and for the Takamatsu International Association. I love living in Takamatsu.
Cathy Hirano キャシー ヒラノ
I've lived in Japan since 1978. After graduating from a Japanese university with a BA in cultural anthropology in 1983, I worked as a translator in a Japanese consulting engineering firm in Tokyo for several years. My Japanese husband and I moved to Takamatsu in 1987 to raise our two children in a slower-paced environment away from the big city pressures. We've never regretted it. I work as a freelance translator and interpreter and am involved in a lot of community work, including volunteering for Second Hand, a local NGO that supports educational and vocational training initiatives in Cambodia, and for the Takamatsu International Association. I love living in Takamatsu.
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