Hanami means “flower viewing” in Japan and is typically reserved for the cherry blossoms which bloom from March to April (Southern Japan starts earlier, Kanto/Kansai region around the end of March and early April and Northern Japan in April).
Of course, it always depends on how the weather is in Japan but for the most part, it has remained consistent.
But the practice of hanami has been going on for centuries. Back in the Nara period (710-794), people would admire ume (plum) blossoms, but by the Heian period (794-1185), it would change towards Sakura blossoms.
(Source wikipedia): Hanami in Osaka. People enjoy viewing blossoms with dance, music, food and sake. The black box on the right is a multi-tiered bento box. Hiroshige (1834)
(source: Wikipedia) Ladies in the Edo palace enjoying cherry blossoms, Toyohara Chikanobu (1894)
The term was first used for cherry blossom viewing in the novel “The Tale of Genji”. People would also visit, partaking in sake under the cherry blossom trees for a wonderful rice harvesting season.
Emperor Saga adopted hanami parties with sake and feasts underneath the blossoming sakura trees in the Imperial Court of Kyoto. And while it was shared by the elite, then samurai, by the Edio period, many commoners would enjoy hanami and Yoshimune Tokigawa planted many cherry blossom trees to encourage hanami.
In today’s modern society, many Japanese and many tourists continue the tradition of hanami and in Tokyo, the second last week of March to mid-April, when the cherry blossom are about to bloom, in full bloom or towards the end of the sakura blossom season, Friday, Saturday and Sundays are typically busy Hanami days.
Literally thousands of people om Japan go to the parks to enjoy a Hanami picnic parties. Not just during the day but also at night (aka yozakura – “night sakura”).
There are also thousands of people who are planning to travel to Tokyo for “Hanami”, I will discuss “Hanami” in full in a series of blog posts. With tomorrow’s post going into securing a spot.
CLICK HERE FOR THE WELCOME TOKYO BIG HANAMI PICNIC (Saturday, March 21st, it’s free!)
