Spring leads to sakura. Sakura leads to hanami. Hanami leads to ...

It's pretty obvious from the gradual greening of the mountains that winter is on it's way out. And if you need more convincing that Spring is here, other obvious signs include new students with uniforms two sizes too big, cars covered in yellow sand (kosan: sand blown over from China) and cherry blossoms.


Cherry Blossoms, or sakura, is THE symbol of spring in Japan. And everyone makes a big fuss about it. Why? Well, I guess after months of freezing temperatures, any sign of spring is welcome. Also, it helps that sakura is very pretty to look at. The pale pink of the petals against the black of the tree bark against a crisp, blue sky. At full bloom, sakura can look like a cloud tethered to the ground. It's still a bit chilly, so maybe there's some kind of magic about seeing a delicate looking flower thriving in such cold temperatures. Or maybe it's the lure of hanami.

Hanami is THE spring pastime in Japan. Hanami is when you and some friends sit under a nice cherry tree and have a picnic. And a few drinks. And of course, as people wanting to experience as much Japanese culture as possible, we ALTs had a massive hanami party in Takada Park last Saturday.


I turned up at around 5.30 in the evening after a delayed journey from Toka (strong winds meant a replacement taxi service) and stopping off to get food, beers and wine. The timing of the party was perfect because the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. I met up with the other ALTs, most of whom I hadn't seen for months, and spend the next few hours catching up. At some point after I'd finished my beers, I thought it was a good idea to open a bottle of wine and have that. To myself. That's when things got a bit hazy. I remember meeting up with Junichi and Akira, two guys I met at boardercross, and introducing them to the others. I vaguely remember being driven to a party by the sea before the wine catching up with me and needing to 'rest' in someone's car. Then I woke up in Tiff's apartment Sunday morning and got the train back to Toka.

It was great. Now that the cherry blossoms are blooming in Tokamachi and Nagaoka, there are still chances to do more hanami. And more drinking (you have to keep warm somehow!)