Random Musings #155 – Wish I was in Japan for Sakura 2021.
There is something about cherry blossom season in Japan that makes it a special time to be there.
From the end of March to first week in April (This is typical in Kanto (Tokyo)/Kansai (Kyoto) area) but a few weeks later in Northern Japan.
But Sakura time…It’s a very cool experience and I love how people get amped for hanami time (picnics under the cherry blossom trees). It’s something that has been celebrated for centuries.
Back in the Nara Period (710-794), people would come out and admire the ume (plum blossoms), but by the Heian period (794-1185), it would change towards Sakura blossoms.
The term of Hanami was first used for cherry blossom viewing in the novel “The Tale of Genji”. Emperor Saga adopted Hanami parties with sake and feasts underneath the blossoming sakura trees in the Imperial Court of Kyoto. And while it was once shared only by elite, Tokigawa Yoshimune planted many cherry blossom trees to encourage hanami for everyone.
Usually, by around this time, I’m preparing for my flight from the US to Tokyo. But a lot of us are in the same position, hoping for things to get better.
So, unfortunately, this will be the second straight year of not being able to travel to Japan. But hopefully someday in the near future, we can all travel internationally comfortably, regain some normalcy and enjoy our travel to Japan again.
So, here is a video….all about sakura (cherry blossom) time in Japan.
*Shot before the pandemic*
Music: スピッツ – 楓
