Hanami
28 March 2026 · movable holiday — Under the blossoming cherries time slows down. Sit with us!
Hanami means “flower viewing” in Japanese, and most often it refers to admiring cherry blossoms, or sakura. The custom is very old: in the Nara period (8th century) people mostly admired plum blossoms, and by the Heian period attention had shifted to cherry trees. Today families, friends and coworkers spread out mats under the trees, eat, drink and enjoy the spring. Typical foods include sweet dango (rice dumplings) and bento (packed meals in a box). In the evening some parks are lit with lanterns, and people enjoy yozakura (night sakura – viewing the blossoms after dark). The blossoms last only a week or two, so hanami is a reminder of fleeting beauty, an idea close to mono no aware (a gentle sadness at the passing of things). The date is not fixed: blossoming begins earlier in the south and later in the north, and private weather companies publish forecasts every year, while the Japan Meteorological Agency announces the official start of blooming based on designated sample trees. So the festival follows the rhythm of nature and the changing of the seasons rather than a set calendar date.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver figure made of luminous dots and thin lines, like a constellation: a gentle swirl of drifting petals carrying a tiny picnic basket
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