花見 (hanami), literally translated as "flower viewing", is a traditional Japanese event that takes place in the spring. It consists of a picnic under the cherry trees, which are blossoming with millions of tiny white flowers. People put pieces of tarp on the grass directly underneath the trees, then set up food and drinks in the middle as the guest sit around it. The hanami is an event that transcends gender, age and social boundaries, which makes for an interesting mix: you can see shoulder to shoulder families with babies crawling around, businessmen in suits gathered around a chef cooking fresh food on the spot, rowdy university students yelling at each other after drinking too much...
This spring I was lucky enough to view the 桜 (sakura), or cherry blossom, in some of the most famous spots around Japan: Yoyogi park in Tokyo, Sakuranomiya in Osaka, Gion in Kyoto and at Himeji Castle. I hope you enjoy the pics!
With Tomo, Taku and some of his friends in Yoyogi Park
Typical layout of a hanami at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo
Sakura at dusk
Yoyogi Park gets really crowded on the first weekend of sakura
Riverbank sakura in Osaka
Sakura snow
View of sakura from the top of Osaka castle
Cherry tree inside Himeji castle
