KJ200704: Spring is Here! (1/4)
Flower Viewing
“Let me die in spring under the blossoming trees, let it be
around that full moon of Kisaragi month”(-Saigyou Houshi)
When it comes to flowers, perhaps one of the most
loved by Japanese is the sakura, or cherry blossoms. The
tradition of hanami, or flower viewing, takes place during
the end of March and beginning of April. Friends and
family, and coworkers from the office, all gather with
bento box-lunches and drinks(plenty of drinks!)on
blankets spread beneath the flowering trees. At night,
parks and other famous hanami locations are lit up, and
one can enjoy yozakura, cherry blossoms at night.
Be careful, though! It’s still pretty cold this time
of year, and there’s a word for that, too : hana-bie ; one
should dress warmly for the flower viewing. Some more
sakura-specific words include hana-gumori, when the skies
are cloudy during the flowering, hana-arashi for the wind
that scatters the cherry blossoms, and sakura-fubuki for
the “storm” of petals that wind blows around.
