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Apr 09 2012 15 Comments

Cherry blossom family fun

Tokyo’s cherry blossoms may well be associated with large amounts of booze, but they are a yearly pleasure enjoyed by people of all ages. From pensioners like the ones posted last week. To the young families photographed below. A simple social event that more than anything brings lots of people together. And, in doing so, for a few hours at least forces the far less pleasant aspects of life to fade away.

Tokyo hanami

Categorized: Culture, Food and Drink, Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Toshogu says

    4/9/2012 at 8:22 am

    That looks like a lot of fun. Some day I will do that in Japan.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      4/9/2012 at 4:30 pm

      And when you do, I’m sure you’ll have just as much fun as they were having.

      Reply
  2. MrSatyre says

    4/9/2012 at 8:53 am

    That’s a lotta family.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      4/9/2012 at 4:31 pm

      Yeah, a whole gang of families I suspect.

      Reply
  3. Willy says

    4/9/2012 at 5:10 pm

    What a buzz! I miss the cherry blossoms. One of nature’s more poingant and lilting moments… Even a hard core rationalist like me can’t help being moved…

    Reply
    • Lee says

      4/9/2012 at 10:39 pm

      Same here. And it gets me every year. There really is something special about them.

      Reply
  4. winnie says

    4/9/2012 at 6:31 pm

    Great shot!!
    Beautiful moments with families and friends especially the ladies…hahaha..
    But one wearing so formal might not able to enjoy so much.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      4/9/2012 at 10:40 pm

      I’m sure he managed ok!

      Reply
  5. Martin B says

    4/9/2012 at 11:17 pm

    I like the way that the shoes have all been left at the edges of blankets, keeping up the tradition of leaving the ourside world at the door, even at a picnic in the park. As you said it keeps the drudgery of the real world at bay for a while.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      4/10/2012 at 4:09 pm

      Yes, that’s something that always something catches my eye. I’ve seen it so many times, yet there’s something really endearing about it.

      Reply
  6. MrSatyre says

    4/9/2012 at 11:49 pm

    It just occurred to me that you’d never know Japan was suffering from such a shortage of children by looking at this picture.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      4/10/2012 at 4:12 pm

      No, you wouldn’t, would you? It’s often like that on trains in the afternoon, making it feel like there is anything but a drop in the numbers…

      Reply
  7. Hans ter Horst says

    4/10/2012 at 3:46 pm

    Just before coming across this post, I read that last weekend 110 people in Tokyo were admitted to hospital for alcohol poisoning between March 31 – the officially start of the hanami season in Tokyo – and Monday morning. There appears to be a darker side to hanami. 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      4/10/2012 at 4:16 pm

      That doesn’t surprise me. Not in the slightest. After the relatively subdued festivities of last year, it was clear people were out to really enjoy themselves this year. The popular spots are always busy, but the crowds this time were something else. Absolutely staggering numbers of people were out. Many of whom were doing lots of staggering too!

      Reply
  8. misiltan says

    4/15/2012 at 4:43 am

    This photo exactly shows what sakura means in Japan !

    Reply

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