花見

Sakura

April is the time for Hanami! Hanami is when the Japanese People go out to enjoy Sakura!
Sakura are Japanese Cherry blossoms. When they bloom they don’t last very long, so people go out to enjoy them for the short time that they are in bloom. People will go and eat and drink sake (Japanese rice whine) and enjoy the sakura this is called Hanami which means looking at flowers. Sakura is very important in Japan and close to the Japanese heart that comes from the short life of a sakura no hana. There is Buddhist imagery in sakura which is there is no permanence to life, like the short life of the blossoms and the fact that they will come back again next year. So when in Japan in April please enjoy the sakura!