There are many reasons to get excited about hanami. The first one being how beautiful the landscape looks. There is also the food, and time spent with friends.
If you are wondering what the fuss is about, then look no further. In this article we take a look at the 10 reasons to get excited about hanami.
1. Eat And Drink Under A Canopy Of Cherry Blossoms
One of the best things about hanami is enjoying a meal surrounded by cherry blossoms. There are many ways to experience this.
You can bring a picnic yourself. If an outdoor restaurant is all set up, you can also sit under a canopy of cherry blossoms.
During this event, you can reflect on life. As sad as it sounds, it is also a time of new beginnings – but it is also about practicing gratitude for being alive.
Eating and drinking under sakura is absolutely breathtaking. At night lights are hung from trees.
However, once the cherry blossom season begins, it only lasts around two weeks. Plus, people usually arrive before 8am to find a space.
You best get there early then!
2. Have High Tea In The Clouds
There are many paid-for experiences around hanami. If you want to do something special, then high tea at Hotel Chinzanso’s Serenity Garden will be right up your street.
It offers diners the chance to eat a three course meal. You will be surrounded by a mist of clouds at leg level. There are also plenty of cherry blossom trees surrounding you too.
There is also a hot pink colored wine in keeping with the theme.
While a little pricey, it is a once in a lifetime treat. Where else would you drink and eat in the clouds surrounded by cherry blossoms?
There is no better place than Tokyo.
3. Find Sakura Themed Food And Drink
Cherry blossom viewing isn’t the only thing to do during hanami season. You will want to try all of the sakura themed foods and drinks too.
From Coca-Cola and Starbucks, to sakura tea and Japanese soda, there are plenty of limited edition cherry blossom beverages to try.
However, there are some things you need to experience. For example, sakura mochi. It is usually a sweet flavored pink mochi. The inside is a red bean paste.
Sometimes it even has leaves from a cherry blossom tree wrapped around it.
Then there is sakura manju. Ths steamed bun is sweet and filled with sakura leaf paste and red bean paste.
Another thing to try is the sakura-an. It includes a white bean paste along with salted sakura leaves.
Lastly, you will want to eat a hanami dango. This is a glutinous and gooey rice ball, similar to mochi.
If you aren’t into sweet treats, then you are in luck. You could try the sakura inarizushi. It includes mixing rice and cherry blossoms within fried tofu.
And then there is sakura onigiri. This tasty delight includes pickled cherry blossoms. The overall flavor is tangy with a salty crunch.
4. Have A Hot Air Balloon Experience
Sagamiko Resort offers a two day event during the hanami season. During this festival you can ride a hot air balloon to view the waves of cherry blossom trees.
Not only is it a different way to view sakura, but it is also a once in a lifetime opportunity too.
If you are scared of heights, don’t worry. The hot air balloon reaches a maximum height of 15 meters. You will also only spend 5 minutes up in the air.
This gives you plenty of time to view the cherry blossoms. Plus, you can take your children too. Or, you can surprise your partner with a romantic time.
What you will see is 2,500 cherry blossoms. They are also lit up using 6 million bright light bulbs. It is said to be the largest ever illuminations within the Kanto region.
5. Enjoy Walking Among The Cherry Blossom Trees
Hanami is also a time to take a walk through the cherry blossoms. You can walk alone or with a loved one. It doesn’t matter, so long as you give yourself time to reflect.
No matter what you do during this spring season, you should always get out to see the cherry blossoms.
They create a beautiful pink landscape. You can take pictures and enjoy the moment. Perhaps even take a few selfies to remind yourself of the time you were in Japan during hanami.
As the petals fall, you will be surrounded by pink snowfall. It really is such a beautiful time to be in Japan.
If you want to see the sakura at night, visit Takada Park within Niigata. It has open spaced castle grounds that are available to take a stroll in.
6. Take A Private Boat Tour
A private boat tour is perfect for a romantic 45 minutes seeing the cherry blossoms from a different perspective.
Pullman Tokyo Tamachi offers two people the chance to be in their own space without distractions from others. You will receive sakura themed cocktails too upon arrival back at the hotel.
The small boat will give you a wonderful view of the Rainbow Bridge, as well as the cherry blossoms which line Tsukuda Island. Also a view of the Tsukishima River.
It is a beautiful experience during this special time.
However, doing this is also very popular. This means that you will want to get a space early. Usually it is best for one person from your party to secure a space before 8am.
They can take a tarp or a picnic blanket to make sure you can have a party later in the day. Because spring can be chilly, you will all need to wrap up.
While the Japanese spring afternoons tend to be warm, it does get cold too. Also, be prepared for rain. Fortunately, the cherry blossoms should protect you.
8. It Brings Family And Friends Together
One of the best things about hanami is that it can bring loved ones together. It is a wonderful way to spend time with friends eating and chatting.
You can also have a picnic with your partner as the darkness sets in. It can be romantic under the pink leaves and the lightbulbs that hang off the trees.
It is also a moment of reflection and gratitude. Whether you are alone or with family, you can think about loved ones. Perhaps they have passed or maybe they are sick.
Whatever you do, make the most of the present.
Whatever you do, make the most of the present.
9. Draw Cherry Blossom Trees
If you are the kind of person who enjoys art, then the hanami season is the best time to get the paint out.
The Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa offers guests the chance to draw cherry blossoms within a Japanese garden. You will be using 48 colors of pastels from Pigment Tokyo.
There are also Japanese spring themed sweets to eat as you take a break. No doubt the 20,000 sqm of space will have your creative juices flowing.
10. Enjoy The Flower Festival
Spring is also the time to celebrate Hana Matsuri. It translates to ‘flower festival’. It relates to celebrating Buddha’s birthday.
For this reason you may also hear it called Kanbutsue. This is translated as ‘Buddha bathing party’.
During hanami, the reflection on our own mortality is taken from Buddhism. It makes sense then that Japan also celebrates Buddha’s birthday during spring – also as a flower festival.
However, there is more to it than that. While buddhists will decorate areas with flowers, they will also place a baby buddha on statues within temples.
Tourists and visitors can pour a sweet tea called ama-cha over the statue. It is a tradition that focuses on bathing the newborn.
It is taken from an old tale of dragons reaching earth from out of the sky. They did so to pour fragrant smelling hot water all over the buddha as soon as he was born.
There may even be parades at temples too. Here children dress up in historical and traditional costumes.
Final Thoughts
Hanami is a wonderful time of year. The Japanese landscape turns pink. It is a beautiful sight to see, and offers a time to reflect on our own mortality.
It is also a chance to have gratitude for our own lives, but also remember those we have lost.
However, it is also an exciting time. With festivals and sakura themed food, it is a fun time to celebrate life.
Hi, I’m Jason Patrick, and for as long as I have been alive, I have been obsessed with Japanese culture. From the sights and sounds of Japan’s many cities to its culinary delights that have become famous worldwide, I simply cannot get enough of this wonderful nation!
I hope that, by exploring this website, you all will develop a much deeper appreciation for Japan, and that it may even influence you to pay it a visit yourself eventually! It is definitely a trip of a lifetime, and whether you experience it firsthand, or through my own website, I’m sure you will become just as passionate as I always have been!
