It's Cherry Blossom season! The Sakura 桜 flower is Japan's national flower, and it is, for lack of a better phrase, a really big deal in Japan.
My students started talking about the coming of Spring and the blooming of the sakura all the way back in January.
I have compiled a few reasons as to the importance of this flower.
- The blossoms last only a week or so. The transient nature of the flowers symbolize the delicacy of our lives and death, and remind us not to take our lives for granted.
- The flowers face not upwards towards the Sun, but downwards towards us.
- The cherry blossoms bloom at the start of the Japanese academic year, and thus remind the Japanese of their youth and school-aged days.
- The pale pink cherry blossoms symbolise youth and love.
Cherry Blossom Viewing Parties, or hanami 花見 are a picnic held under a cherry blossom tree. The most famous parks, including Ueno Park, can get extremely crowded and crammed with drunk young Japanese men climbing on the trees and singing obnoxiously loud karaoke. Fortunately, I managed to avoid such rowdy places!!
Night-time Hanami with some students Saturday night in Hikarigaoka Park
It was very cold, but very enjoyable!!!
The mountains of beer at the supermarket, and posing with the Sakura.
Inokashira Park, Kichijouji, West Tokyo on Sunday afternoon
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