Japan gets back its cherry blossom fever

Ah, the great tradition of getting falling-down drunk in a public place in the middle of the afternoon. If you're going to Ueno today, take your galoshes.

You mob down south - enjoy! Still no sign of even any buds up here in Tohoku. Plenty of snow still coming down though. Hanami seems light-years away!

Every year...all OK Cherry blossoms, life can be beautiful for a moment, then dead. Falling into a puddle of vomit.

C'mon now, guys - the vomiting, groping, face-down-in-mud Japanese salaryman is just as much a tradition of hanami as the cherry blossoms!

Some out, some not here. Seems like the prime time will be the middle of the week. Hoping they'll be around next weekend as it is too windy and cold to go out and enjoy them where I am.

"But the full bloom had been delayed by about a week due to unusually cold March weather, while a violent storm that pounded Japan earlier this week had some wondering if the delicate buds would get blown off the trees."

Arrrgh! Why do people so easily forget that it's not so much late this year (and last, by the way), but that it's been EARLY for more than a decade before! In Osaka they're getting pretty near full bloom, and just in time for school entrance ceremonies, which was the norm until about 15 years ago or so when it became too hot, too soon, and they bloomed mid-March.

Anyway, I'm glad people feel they can go out and enjoy the cherry blossoms, for they are truly beautiful. As usual I'm going to avoid the over-crowded areas and just take a stroll around the neighbourhood where they bloom, as well as having a BBQ party at a friend's house tomorrow (and his place has a couple of cherry trees in the yard.

Burakumin...don't get me wrong. I've always enjoyed getting ratarsed in parks. This is one of my favourite weeks of the year.

This is when it's socially sanctioned to enjoy the beauty of nature, with a can of booze in ones hand, and I get praised for my cultural sensitivity, instead of getting moved along by the police any other weekend.

I was in Tokyo till last evening, and I spent some time on Thursday and Friday enjoying the sakura. They're not out much where I am in Kobe today, we actually had snow flurries this morning.

Any reason to drink in the day on a special occasion makes me a happy chap :)

"with a karaoke machine"

Don't need that.

Some out, some not here.

There were a few hardy bloomers around Ueno Park by the third week of March. I wonder what makes the difference is in start dates....

'fever' give me a break. Hanami, the appreciation of change and recognition of the fleeting nature of life I can understand and feel would have been quite appropriate last year. 'Fever' i.e. neckties round head, behaviour that would be criminal any other time of the year and licence to vomit is now ok again after a year of silent reflection on the tsunami.

Ridiculous hordes of human traffic all for fighting for the glory of a picnic spot under a pretty tree. Not to mention hayfever hell. Sorry for the cynicism, but pass.

Japan is not bothered with the concept of shame and being drunk as a shameful thing. I got blind drunk after the demise of my first spouse and the police gave me a ride home. I would love to see Sakura blossoms now.

yea you are right about that catcusjack. Not the sort of thing one would want to watch. At least they are limber when they fall out of the trees. Wonder what the cats do about them? Chalk that up to a plus about America.