「花見」 Watch the cherry blossoms blooming

Hanami (花見, lit. "watching flowers") is a very known tradition in Japan.

In the end of March and the beginning of April, Japans cherry trees (sakura, 桜) begin to bloom and visitors - Japanese and Non-Japanese - will make a picknick unter the beautiful pink and white blossoms with their co-workers, friends or families and beloved ones.

This 'picknick under cherry blossoms' is very famous and recently the term Hanami is also know outside of Japan.

How to do a Hanami? This is quite simple!

Usually Japanese go for a Hanami on a Sunday, because most of them have their day off. The most favourite location for Hanami is a public Park, like Yoyogi Park or Ueno Park in Tôkyô. Ueno Park is really popular and you hardly find free seats under the cherry trees. Yoyogi Park is very popular among young people, because the park is located next to the fashion-district Harajuku and on the bridge Meiji jingu-mae cosplayers and otaku from Japan and all over the world come together.

Very typical for a Japanese Hanami are the blue sheets (available in different sizes at any 100-Yen Shop). Groups of five to ten people or more sit on them under the pink or white cherry blossoms and enjoy a picknick together. Mostly with a lot (and I really mean a lot!) of alcohol, like (Japanese) beer or sake (Japanese rice wine, お酒).

Japanese people really love to eat, and so they bring their own food for the Hanami. Very famous are yaki-tori (grilled chicken, 焼き鳥）, sushi and dango (sweet Japanese dumplings, 団子) and so on.

pink and red cherry blossoms in Tôkyô's Shinjuku Gyoen

Why does Hanami exist?

Its said, that Hanami is a century old tradition. In the Nara Period (710-794) loved to watch the plum blossom to bloom (time for plum blossom is around February), but some centuries later, they became more attracked to sakura. Even though you say 'hana-mi' ('flower watching') and not 'sakura-mi' ('cherry blossom watching'), cherry blossoms are the reason why people go outside and celebrate a Hanami.

The cherry blossom is something like a 'national symbol' (together with Mt. Fuji) for Japanese. Sakura only bloom for about 2 weeks and they fade very fast. They are also the sybol for the Samurai and the transientness of beauty. However, the Japanese also appreciate a lot of other flowers, too. Not only in the Hanami-season TV programs are full with news about this or that flower, which is to bloom soon. I think, this is maybe because Japanese don't have a garden like many people in Europe - full of (wild) flowers and wonderful to play. So they search for the beauty of flowers and go to different Parks, even if they are 2 or 3 hours away from their homes.

Beside the Hanami and beauty of sakura in spring, Japanese also admire the Momiji-gari (紅葉狩り, lit. 'hunting for autumn leaves', also called 'autumn leaf viewing') in autumn and the Tsukimi (月見、'moon watching') in September and October.

girls dressed up as visual kei cosplays making a Hanami in Yoyogi Park, Tôkyô

Even if you're not in Japan, you can make your own Hanami! Last year, mine turned out to be something like a Kawami (川見, 'river watching'), in lack of any cherry trees or other flowers to bloom.
Funny thing, on facebook, there's a fanpage called 'One day I will watch Hanami in Japan'.

All photos above are taken from my deviantArt profiles fayedilion and harajuku-observer! 

Don't use these pictures without permission! 

(c) fujimi-tea