Hanami which means “Cherry Blossom (Sakura) viewing” in Japanese is an important tradition practiced by the Japanese in Japan.When viewing the Sakura with their colleagues, it is a practice that the company’s newcomers would go to the venue for the viewing earlier to find and reserve the best flower viewing spot for their seniors. If the venue is a very popular spot to view the flowers in Japan, then the newcomers would even need to reserve the best spot the day before, even to the extent of sleeping there overnight.
They usually celebrate the event through drinking, eating, playing and even listening to music. Special dishes such as Dango and Bento are prepared and eaten during these gatherings. It is also a common practice to drink Sake (Japanese rice wine). Sometimes they would have Karaoke session during the viewing.
Even though it seems as if viewing the cherry blossoms is the main objective, there is also a proverb “Hana Yori Dango” which means “dumpling rather than flowers” that makes fun of those who prefer eating to admiring the beauty of the flowers blooming.
With all the effort and hard work put in by the Japanese just to view the blooming of the Sakura, one must wonder why the Japanese love the Cherry blossom so much. Well, maybe because of the short life span of the Sakura that makes the Japanese want to treasure these flowers even more.
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