Cherry Blossom Holiday

While there isn't technically a holiday associated with the cherry blossoms, people here seem to have taken it upon themselves to act like there is. On Friday, the whole American crew (M, L, A, and I) headed over to Tsurmai Park, which we were told was the place to have an evening picnic under the cherry blossoms. We came prepared with adult beverages and tasty snacks, but nothing could prepare us for the view we found when we exited the subway...

The park itself was striking - a large grove of sprawling cherry trees was lit with hanging lanterns. The number of visitors in the park was the real shock - nearly every inch of space under and around the cherry trees was covered with a blanket and picnicking party people. We were expecting a crowd (it was a local university's 'welcome week') but I was a little overwhelmed with the number of people.

We staked out a decent people-watching spot on the edge of a small pond in the park, and proceeded to get our snack and drink on. After finishing sandwiches and our first round, we were snapping photos when a pair of passing guys offered to take a photo including our full group. Happy to accept, we handed over cameras and got some nice pics.

Then our evening took a turn. One of the guys (in the middle) was very insistent that we should join their group closer to the cherry trees, and lacking a good reason not to we packed up and followed them back into the thick of the partying.

It turned out we'd actually walked right by their group earlier, and I'd been impressed by the folding kneeling-height tables they'd brought along. When we were seated at the table (sitting there in our socks, shoes left at the edge of the blanket), I was impressed again by their eagerness to share drinks and food with complete strangers. While I suspect we were the butt of a few jokes, I can't say I really minded. I never would have tried grilled intestine on a stick or tiny whole bbq squid (yes, they were eating it all too - it wasn't just 'feed the foreigner funny food') on my own, and the return to treats I'd tried earlier in the trip like takoyaki (octopus balls) was a nice bonus.

Notice they're all in suits? They'd come straight from work, where they were engineers and architects for an apartment building construction company. This photo was taken around 10pm, so these guys have been at it for a while. What an evening! If you're ever in Japan, I recommend you get picked up by strangers at least once.