Hanami Party 4/4/10

Sakura season in my neck of the woods is just about over. It lasted a good 2 and a half weeks! Sakura is "cherry blossoms", and if you've heard about Japanese Cherry Blossom season before, its for good reason. This 2 and a half weeks was the most beautiful 2 and a half weeks of my life.

"Cherry blossom is an omen of good fortune and is also an emblem of love, affection and represents spring. Cherry blossoms are an enduring metaphor for the fleeting nature of life, and as such are frequently depicted in art." Wikipedia

It's true...it did seem fleeting, but it was powerful, motivating.

During Cherry Blossom season, it is customary to attend a "Hanami" Party, or flower viewing party. In fact "Hana" means flower, and "mi" means to look/to see. So Hanami parties, are exactly what they sound like. You sit around looking at the Cherry Blossoms.

I actually dated this post in the title, because I want to make it clear that this post is on one specific day: one specific Hanami Party. I reserve the right to do posts on many other Sakura-related topics.

I just can't get enough of these little suckers.

We had our party up behind Tenmangu Shrine, on the mountain I've written about a few times before.

We parked ourselves on a couple of big tarps under this tree!

We treated this Hanami party as a potluck. I brought Homemade Spicy KimChi Soup. Other people brought some amazing dishes too. And of course there were drinks a'plenty. No one throws a Hanami party without drinks! (There are no open-bottle laws in Japan).

The mountain (and probably every other mountain in a 100 mile radius) was dotted with Hanami parties. I would say every mountain in Japan, but Sakura season hits at different times in Japan. Sakura season winds up in an Northernly fashion. ;D Wish I could get off work and follow it!

Above is a Hanami party that was really close to ours. I was walking to the bathroom, when this group of people loudly beckoned me over, and recognized me as the girl that was on TV for the laughing competition! This fame got me a permanent spot at their table, entailing eating their $300 food (I could tell all their stuff was expertly expertly prepared) and helping little old ladies with their English. This group was actually a "Traveling Club"!!! I want to be in a cute traveling club when I'm older! And I want to have Hanami Parties with them too! !!! Harrumph!

I'm getting sidetracked here. hehe.

So of course most of my Hanami Party time was spent with my friends, not the random group that I met toward the end of the day.

Here we are, all full, ready to take a walk, and come back and ingest more!

I felt like I had already had loads of birthday fun-time, yet I was still receiving cakes and presents. :) Thanks everyone. <3

(I'm getting older! As many people lately have liked to remind me of.)

All in all, 4/4/10 was one of my favorite days ever. Can't wait for next year's Hanami Parties! Yes, I used the plural just right there. You are bound to hear more bout Hanami in the days to come. :)