Cherry Blossom Season has Arrived!

The cherry blossoms have bloomed and for the next week and a half or so we are in for some beautiful scenery. During this time of year, everyone gets together underneath sakura (cherry blossoms) to appreciate the flowers' beauty. Additionally, people bring food (like obentos, or boxed lunches) and drinks (from sake and beer, to green tea and so on), to celebrate the cherry blossom season all day long. There are also stalls set up in the more popular viewing areas at which you can buy food (similar to the stalls mentioned in our fetility festival post, sans penis).

I never really thought about the history of it all--I just thought it was symbolic of new life and all the sorts of things that come with spring. However, one of the lessons I was teaching included a discussion question that made me wonder more about the origins of cherry blossom viewing. The questions asks why people first began to celebrate this annual event, and how the manner in which people take part in the event has changed over the years. To my astonishment, class after class, none of my students knew much about how this whole thing got started. This brings to the forefront the way cherry blossom viewing is often more about a day-long (or week long) party than about "what it all means."

I read a bit about cherry blossom viewing origins, and there are several theories as to how and when cherry blossom viewing started on a nationwide scale. Most people seem to agree that flower viewing became specific to cherry blossoms after The Tale of Genji was written (there is a sakura party featured in the novel). Symbolic of the beginning of rice-planting season, a prediction about the outcome of the following year's harvest, and deeper contamplations regarding the impermanence of life, beauty, etc., these beautiful flowers became an annual draw. I think that people still recognize the allure of these elegant little blossoms, but that the season has transformed into one in which people celebrate each other's love and friendship, too. And perhaps, like many speculate, many people just really like to party.

Yesterday, I went for a run along the river near our apartment and the area is just so beautiful that I decided to go for a walk later to take some pictures. Over the next week, we'll be attending several hanami (flower viewing) parties, and will be sure to post many pictures, but for now you'll just have to be content with (and jealous of) these. ^^

Take care! Love, Chad and Caitlyn