Hanami

So the season of sakura has hit Japan, and what does that mean? HANAMI TIME!!!

So what is hanami?

Basically in a nutshell, hanami is having a group picnic near sakura (cherry blossom) trees which may or may not involve sake. Since the sakura tree blossoms are rather evanescent, hanami season doesn't last for a long time, usually only a couple of weeks. However since this year is chillier than usual, the hanami season is even shorter.

Luckily, I've been to three hanami parties: one at Minami Senri, one at Ryokuchikoen for the Beer Olympics, and  a yozakura, or evening hanami, at Osaka Castle. They were both a lot of fun, and it really is a great way to hang out and socialize in such a pretty setting.

A popular food during hanami is dango, which are little mochi dumplings served on skewers, and there are special hanami dango which include a pink one, a green one, and a white one on a skewer. There is a saying:  花より団子 (hana yori dango) which means dumplings over flowers which refers to practicality over aestheticism because the pretty pink flowers will only be there for a short time. There is also a pun of this saying, which is the title of one of my favorite dramas, 花より男子 （also hana yori dango), Boys Over Flowers ;)