As a result, parks and promenades are abuzz with locals and tourists alike enjoying the beauty of the newly bloomed sakura. Along with these beautiful flowers comes a series of sakura flavored items - from mochi (sweet Japanese rice cake) to ice cream - even McDonald's has their seasonal sakura burger (no flowers - just chicken teriyaki).
Japanese women don their kimonos and go with friends and family to take photos by the sakura, while college students and companies gather for sakura parties - known as hanami, under the trees, where party goers socialize, eat, and drink. The oft-referred to Japanese proverb: "Hana yori dango" (literally translated: "flowers less than dumplings") suggests hanami parties tend to focus more on the food and drink rather than the cherry blossoms. I was lucky to attend a Doshisha University club hanami last week - and indeed, more focus was paid to the plum wine and snacks than the blooming flowers.
Yesterday, friends and I traversed Philosopher's Walk, a path between two famous temples, Gingaku-ji and Nanzen-ji, named for a deceased Kyoto University Philosophy professor who used the path for his daily constitutional. Known as one of the most picturesque sakura spots in Kyoto, it more than fulfilled our expectations. Here, it truly was cherry blossoms before food and drink - all the trees along the canal were in full bloom, and it was quite the sight to behold.
The cherry blossoms are beautiful! And the hanami parties sound like fun, I'm glad you can be a part of cool events like that :)
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