The Eye of Patrick

Two weeks ago I went to Muruyama Koean in Sapporo for Cherry blossoms (Hanami). The season for Cherry blossoms is later here compared to Osaka or Tokyo due to its more northern location. This means we get ours in May and everyone else gets there is March or April.

A common thing to do when it is Cherrry Blossom season is to get with your friends and have a BBQ. In the more popular places this can mean you have to go really early to lay down your blue tarp so that you can enjoy your bbq later.

Some random tidbits from Wikipedia.

The teasing proverb dumplings rather than flowers (花より団子, hana yori dango^?) hints at the real priorities for most cherry blossom viewers, meaning that people are more interested in the food and drinks that accompany a hanami party rather than actually viewing the flowers themselves. (A punning variation, Boys Over Flowers (花より男子, Hana Yori Dango^?), is the title of a manga and anime series.)

Dead bodies are buried under the cherry trees! is a popular saying about hanami, after the opening sentence of the 1925 short story “Under the Cherry Trees” by Motojirō Kajii.

[edit]

As I was taking this photo I realized it is likely the last time I see Cherry blossoms in Japan as I will be returning to Canada in August when my contract runs out. I likely will keep this blog but more turn it into a photo blog as that is what it seems to becoming.

I hope you enjoy the journey.

Patrick