Hanami
Feb 13, 2012 (Mon.)
For the past few days, it really has begun to feel like spring in Japan. And when you think of spring in Japan, the first things that come to mind are cherry blossoms.
While there are cherry blossoms in America, they are not as poeticized as they are in Japan. After hearing numerous poems about cherry blossoms in my courses on Heian literature at my home university, I have been looking forward to seeing them in Japan with my own eyes for quite some time.
I went to my first flower viewing—hanami—a few weeks ago with some of my friends at Osaka Castle Park. We sat by the river, so we were able to see the boats that rode by as we played cards, ate, and made new friends. In America, although there are cherry blossom festivals, there aren't really any events like hanami, so this was a really fun and unique experience for me.