Hanami happens once a season when the sakura (cherry blossoms) burst into bloom. When this event occurs, everyone under the sun in Japan goes out to picnic and drink under the blossoms. This is called hanami (literally “flower” and “view”) and is one of the most popular events in Japan. Sakura trees are everywhere in Japan and when everything is in flower it looks like there’s a whiteish pink cloud everywhere.
Today I went with Heather and Jaimes to Osaka-jou, a castle in Osaka. We managed to wander past the first moat and found a perfect view of the sakura as well as the castle.
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| Picnickers along the moat |
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| Heather |
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| The traditional food to eat alongside sake is mochi and dango--rice flour sweets that are ridiculously delicious. Naturally, we went overboard when we saw they were on sale. |
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| Three Color Dango |
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| Would you like some dango? |
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| I would! |
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| I'm eating sakura mochi here, a traditional sweet only made/sold in Japan during the sakura season |
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| Jaimes |
One thing about Osaka-jou: it is huge. Seriously huge.
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| I'm not kidding, dude |
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| Example One: Jaimes and the wall |
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| Example Two: You see that little speck in the green skirt? That's me waving at you. |
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| Heather, Me, and Jaimes |
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| And, of course, with the sakura, there comes a matsuri-like feeling complete with deep fat fried fruit dipped in chocolate |
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