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When the cherry blossoms appear in the parks, the Japanese come out in droves to celebrate and party.
The hanami season really doesn’t mean an awful lot outside of Japan. Most people would probably still be none the wiser about it were it not for Ken Watanabe’s character Lord Katsumoto and his ode to the sakura or cherry blossom in the 2003 film, The Last Samurai.
“The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life,” Katsumo mused.
While such sentiment might be considered a little on the romantic side, it is not without merit. The hanami season, which celebrates the blossoming of the sakura, is a time when the usually quiet and reserved population of Japan goes nuttier than a fruit cake.
The cherry blossom blooms across the Japanese islands every spring, beginning in Okinawa in late March and ending in Hokkaido in early May. The flowers last for about two weeks, depending on the weather. Almost as soon as the buds begin to open in parks, castles and river banks around the country, yatai (temporary market stalls) sprout everywhere in anticipation of a swarm of customers.
Typically the yatai sell karaage (pieces of fried chicken in batter), yakitori (grilled chicken on a skewer), yakisoba (fried noodles with cabbage) and takoyaki (pieces of fried octopus in batter). And the customers they expect, always turn up – in droves.
At the height of the bloom, trying to reserve a spot in a prime location right under the trees becomes an exercise in timing and tactical awareness. Too soon, and there’s nothing to see. Too late, and all the blooms have become litter, ready to be swept away.
A sight almost synonymous with the cherry blossom itself at this time of the year is the blue tarpaulin. Garnered from local D-I-Y stores, the tarp serves to protect one’s derrière from the mud (grass is a much more rare a sight in Japan than an honest politician) and also to mark out territory for friends and colleagues, for hanami is not a solitary celebration.
Parents bring their young families, while teenagers – past that time when it is socially acceptable to be seen with their parents – hang out with their friends, and people in general gather to enjoy the occasion. Parties are common, especially when it’s a corporate affair.
However, in the latter case it is a cruel irony for some that hanami should be such a miserable time. The junior salarymen have an unenviable job during this time – they have to guard their company’s spot for the duration of hanami.
More often than not this means camping out on the site their company has staked out so as to evict any would-be squatters. Sleeping out under the stars might not seem such a terrible task in the Japanese spring. After all, winter has gone and the haru-ichiban winds now bring up warmer air from the equator.
However, haru-ichiban is more of a blast than a breeze, and it turns cold at night. Add a downpour into the mix, and nobody in his right mind would want to be caught in a wet sleeping bag and clothes, let alone waking up and explaining to an irate boss why there are strangers in his favourite spot.
Teenagers hang out with friends to enjoy the cherry blossomsNevertheless, the young graduates still make the most of their lot and they party hard — as do the new university students.
The cherry blossom season marks the start of the financial and academic new year in Japan. It is a time for the youngsters to celebrate before embarking on another stage in their life. Usually quite a few have still not figured out their tolerance for alcohol, which can be quite a messy thing.
One of the more extreme examples of alcohol taking its toll was when one unfortunate freshman had a sudden meeting with the asphalt.
His four friends took pity on him, and so proceeded to carry him out of the park and put him in a taxi.
All was going according to plan until the unconscious young man woke up and – believing himself to be safely tucked in bed - decided he wasn’t comfortable on his back and tried to turn over.
Somehow that ended up with him having another sudden meeting with the asphalt.
Such incidents happen across the country as the parties continue late into the night or even until daybreak – and beyond.
While not exactly party animals, the Japanese know how to let their hair down.
It is, after all, that time of the year when they loosen the shackles of winter and prepare for a long summer of festivals and merriment.
And hanami is just the start...
Isi reply saya, rahasia yaaa
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from "Juwita S."
to Yunisa
date Jul 9, 2008 6:18 AM
subject sudah kelar..
Hallo Yunisa cah ayu.. aku sudah kelar baca novelnya, 3 hari habis, aku ngebut sreeet..jreeng.. yaah.. Shinichi kok dimatiin, Yun? Aku sedih banget.
Good story, it runs smoothly.. cuman bagian Persaingan yang rada 'dragging', juga menurut aku too many death events, sepertinya kematian dipakai sebagai point akan terjadinya kejadian yang baru, apakah untuk memudahkan jalannya cerita?
Nah, demikian, Yun, pengamatan asal2an dari Juwi, hihi...
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