But not for me, only for you Tokyoites lucky enough to be at the beginning of a lovely warm cherry blossom season. Im totally Tokyo-hankering right now, y’all better get out there and enjoy it on my behalf! I miss the pinkness, the floating petals, the snow effect, the smell of spring, the pleasure of sleeping in on a warm morning, the possibility of feeling warm outside, the silliness of getting drunk (or whatever) in a cemetery, the moon glimpsed thru blossom-laden boughs, the multitude of seasonal products, last week’s full bloom on this week’s episode of every drama… Im not quite nostalgic enough yet to miss the drunken crowds squeezed onto late night trains, ask me again next year tho.

I remember a hanami spent in a small boat (expertly rowed by MJ) on the lake in Inokashira Park, i remember parking under the boughs and refreshing ourselves with One Cup Sake and Keio Store tuna sashimi. I remember several Harukaze parties where big winds from across Yoyogi Park blew petal snow across the road and into the crowds of dancers. I remember a late night in Aoyama Cemetery running around from headstones to tombs, smoking and stretching. I remember a few hanamis in Yoyogi Park and being amazed every time that so many of the trees were cherry blossom trees (do they bring extra ones in at night or what???). I remember many cigarettes late at night standing under my favourite blossom tree on the way home, that big one on the corner of the back street from Eifukucho Stn.

Future hanamis are, for now anyway, limited to the Japanese Garden in the Parklands. I hear that One Cup Sake’s may make an entry into the Oz market, so come spring you are likely to find me there, sloshed and severely natsukashii.

• MissSin said on 06/03/30 at 03:44 PM.....

  harukaze has well and truly arrived.

  
  in fact it may have been & gone…

  
  cherry blossoms have just about passed their peak, but the quince is just beginning to bloom, so there’s still some colour in the trees.

  and now the leaves are just about coming out.

  
  yup - spring has definitely sprung…just hasn’t warmed up poperly yet - but, hey, that’s what beer’s for!

   

• MJ said on 06/03/30 at 07:23 PM.....

  What warm????

  
  *snuggles into her blanket*

• MissSin said on 06/03/30 at 09:42 PM.....

  yeah - i take back my previous comment.

  don’t know about harukazu - today felt more like fuyukazu straight from siberia.

  
  bloody cold day today - with freezing winds.

  
  but at least the cherry blossoms look pretty flying through the air…

   

• Sabine said on 06/04/01 at 04:56 PM.....

  Well I was lucky enough to find a house with cherry blossoms trees on my street and they are in bloom now (Vancouver). No parties but they are trying to start it up here. Check out http://www.vcbf.ca

  
  No boozing in public allowed here tho so it’s just not the same…