Sunday, April 5, 2015

Hanami at Fujimori Park (Hachioji)

Hanami, or flower viewing, is a Japanese tradition wherein people come and watch cherry blossom (sakura) trees in full bloom. They would have picnics and small parties under the shade of the sakura trees. People all over Japan, and sometimes other countries as well, wait carefully for the forecast since the blooms only last a week to ten days.

Since I found out that I will be coming to Japan again this year, I've looked forward to experience either my first snow or first hanami. Unfortunately, the schedule they gave me was for April until June, so there is no chance of seeing snow (which happens between January and February). I hoped and hoped that I'll get in time at least to see the sakura blooms.

So, here I am now in Tachikawa again, but before I got here, my boss and his wife accompanied me to see the sakura trees in full bloom at Fujimori Park in Hachioji. It was such a magical moment for me, and I felt like I was in an anime. I didn't get to take a lot of picture since my hands were frozen from the cold (11 degree Celsius) but I tried to preserve the moment in my mind.

Here are some of the pictures I was able to capture:
Fujimori Park

Sakura Trees with Japanese lanterns

one of the game stalls lining the walkway

Sakura in bloom

people having picnics under the sakura trees

one of the food stalls (oden)
We only stayed for a short while, but I really did enjoy those few moments. Too bad I can't bring home a branch. XD Oh well, at least I get to cross off one item in my bucket list. Looking forward to more Japanese adventures! <3

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