Hanami

I have several posts that I want to make to cover the rest of our road trip and a couple other experiences that we have had here recently, but I had to interrupt the flow of things to write about the hanami party that we had this past Saturday, Aprith 9th. The sakura, or cherry blossoms, are extremely popular in Japan, but only stay in bloom for about two weeks in the first half of April. During this time, Japanese flock to the sakura to hold drinking and eating parties underneath the falling petals. These sakura viewing parties are known as "hanami", and my fellow ALTs and I, in true Japanese fashion, decided to hold our own hanami in Iwakuni, a small town located about an hour north of where we live. Iwakuni is home to arguably the most famous site in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Kintai-Kyo, a five arched bridge that crosses the Nishiki River. The banks along the Nishiki are covered in sakura trees, and for two weeks every April it transforms into one of the most beautiful and popular hanami locations in western Japan. We laid out a couple tarps, brought our nabe (Japanese soup) pots, and spent a good six hours this past Saturday drinking, eating and enjoying each others company and the great spring weather underneath the sakura.

Kintai-Kyo with Sakura in the distance

Hanami under the Sakura

Hanami parties lining the street

Our ALT Hanami

Making Nabe under the Sakura

Hitting up Yozakura - nighttime Sakura viewing