After cold winter, spring has finally come! From the end of March to early April, you will see cherry blossoms everywhere in Japan. It’s the season of Ohanami! Ohanami is cherry blossom viewing, which is done when the cherry blossoms (=Sakura) are in full bloom. In this season, people often see and read news on the Sakura front, which is the line showing where the trees most recently bloomed. Since the blossoms last only about a week or less, areas famous for cherry trees oftern become very crowded. The Japanese people hold a banquet everywhere under the Sakura blossoms to celebrate the arrival of spring and to enjoy viewing the cherry blossoms. Family and groups will sit under a cherry tree with Hanami-bento (Take-out meals especially prepared for Ohanami) and enjoy chatting, drinking and singing, yet this is often a problem as people question the poor manners/behavior of the drunken flower viewers. There is also the more refined way to enjoy viewing the cherry blossoms at night as some places are lighted up for viewers who come after the sunset.
