Hanami

You might have thought we were so busy playing in New Zealand that we missed out on the cherry blossom season in Tokyo...but you'd be wrong!  We made it back in time to enjoy the full season...and to get ready for our first guests (more on that another time).

This is supposed to be the busiest tourist time in Tokyo, but I didn't really see a difference in the number of visitors here.  There are more people at the parks and gardens, but they aren't overly crowded.  We had beautiful weather as the blooms started coming out.  

The season lasted for just under two weeks.  It ran over two weekends this year, which made it nice for those who work! 





I started out at the Koishikawa Korakuen Garden.  This is right beside the Tokyo Dome, but once you're inside you would never realize it (well, except for the roller coaster in the background).  I love the skyscrapers framing the gardens - the juxtaposition of the modern with the ancient.  

You can see the flowers are just starting to peek out here.

A few days later we're over at Senso-ji Temple, and the sakura are popping out there, too.  The shops even have sprays of cherry blossoms decorating their roof lines.

So pretty!

The next weekend we decide to check out Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.  It's our first time there.  It seems more like a park versus a Japanese garden (though there is one small section of J.G.).  There is a small fee to enter and dogs and alcohol are not allowed.  That didn't hold anyone back from having a hanami (cherry blossom viewing) party!

Can we join your party?

 
The weather this weekend (and for the peak of flower viewing) is overcast.  No rain or strong winds, so lots of blossoms on the trees, but not the picture perfect type of day that makes you just happy to be outdoors.  The scenery is gorgeous though - I can see why sakura viewing becomes a national event.

We don't hold back from getting our picture with the blooms... 

Who are all these people in my picture?

Steve had to shove people aside to be by himself. (Not really - they are actually very polite and wait for you to finish before moving in to take their own photo).

One common aspect of Japanese gardens is a branch (or more) hanging over a water feature. 

Can you even take a bad picture in a Japanese garden?

From our trip I realized there are several colors of flowers.  I'll have to look up the different types of trees!

almost white

pale pink

true pink

They are planted in groves, not just individually.

Hey, why don't the trees have any leaves?

We even managed to take a group selfie!

We are actually surrounded by hundreds of people while taking this picture.  Good editing!

We also had to check out Aoyama Cemetary.  Apparently they used to have hanami parties here and then the government said maybe they shouldn't be having parties with lots of alcohol while sitting on the graves. 

I had to pose with the trees again!

And at our own little local park, we have this tree - I have no idea what it's actually called, but I named it pom pom blooms.  The dark pink sakura are all clustered together to form a ball.  These are the final types of trees to bloom.

Is it against the law to pick the flowers?

Once the petals fall, it looks like a watercolor picture..

But don't worry about the cherry blossoms going away - the tulips are coming out next!

I also learned it's okay to have hanami parties at night, too!

Looking forward to seeing them again next year!