My first thought about bringing food to a festival seemed kind of strange to me. This is a Cherry Blossom Festival, right? Silly me, who knew the Cherry Blossom Trees, known as Sakura, didn’t give any fruit.
That doesn’t stop whole families from partying into the night during this very (very, very) short growing season that lasts maybe two weeks tops. The Japanese have a name for this thousand year old tree viewing event, known as Hanami.
Don’t go confusing Hanami with Unemi, the former being the whole Cherry Blossom thing; the latter is all about the Plum Blossoms. It’s been said that older folks like the Plum Blossoms over the Cherry; making Unemi a more subdued event in Japanese parks.
To truly experience Hanami in fine Japanese tradition, you need to bring the Sake. Yup, it’s not unusual to bring the fermented rice drink while you’re lounging under a tree. It’s also good to eat Bento, a single portion rice/meat (or fish) in a tidy takeaway container. Another traditional dish eaten under the shade of the Sakura is Dango, a dumpling usually paired with a nice Green Tea.
Hey, what happened to the Sake?
Sake, or not, it doesn’t matter to the whole Cherry Blossom Festival is all about families getting together to eat, drink, and listen to music. Some of these events go well into the night, so it isn’t so unusual to see paper lanterns hanging from these regal trees.
What says Japan more than a traditional tea ceremony? Honestly, nothing does, which is why you can get in on a tea ceremony under the shade of the Cherry Blossoms. In my humble opinion, there’s no prettier a place to experience Hanami than right under the watchful shadow of Himeji Castle.
You can experience two for the price of one on this, a great example of 14th century Japanese architecture, at what’s called the White Heron Castle, and enjoy all the festivities under the surrounding Cherry Blossoms.
What’s really interesting about Hanami is how the time of these “festivals” are predicted. That’s all under the charge of the Japanese Meteorological Agency, a weather agency that uses all sorts of predictors to say when the Cherry Blossoms are going to bloom. The media gets very involved in tracking what’s known as the “Cherry Blossom Front”; so if you’re not sure when the trees might bloom, just pick up a newspaper or listen to the news on TV.
Here’s a tip, though. Because of Okinawa’s sub-tropical climate to the south, that’s where they usually bloom first, often as early as February. Hokkaido’s location in the far north of Japan makes it one of the last places the trees offer up their pretty pink petals, which can be as late as June.
In today’s society we often forget to sit & smell the roses-but the Japanese understand you often need to sit under a Cherry Blossom Tree; even better if you can do it with your family
I’m a trip consultant, planner and manager who loves creating unique intercultural adventures for families. I want to impart information, tips and personal experiences especially related to family adventure travel. Please contact me to help you in planning your travel adventure.
Author: Sylvia Arad