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Early start

12 Comments

Someone has already reserved their spot for a hanami party in Shiba-koen park early Saturday morning.

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oh I cant wait, im currently sitting under a cheery tree on my large blue sheet. ive been here about 1 week because i dont want somebody else to get it. im sleeping in my sleeping bag and its cold, but it will be worth it when the weekend arrives. Ill be having barbeque and getting drunk with 100 other people all in the same confined space. oh it will be so much fun to do this sitting under the cherry blossoms. let hope it doesnt rain. have a happy blossom weekend!!

0 ( +4 / -4 )

If people are willing to actually be present and wait there for the day of, then no problem. But a recent trend I noted a few years back is that some people, in some places, will simply put out a blue sheet and put some sign on it saying it is reserved for such and such day. In some cases people even rope the area off, so no one can enjoy the park for the few days or even a week. A few years back a Japanese neighbour and I got fed up with the growing trend and wrapped up all the tarps after taking down the ropes. and put them nicely in a corner of the park with the signs so people could collect them later. You should have seen the faces of the people who made the 'reservations' when their places were full of people and BBQ sets, etc., on the day they expected to come. It was a bummer for them, but the point is that they are public parks, meant for the enjoyment of everyone -- not a place you can square off for a week and that kids in their spring break can't use. So, until the cities start actually setting up a reservation process, or unless people are willing to wait as is the person in the picture above, then public property should remain open to the public, not closed because one person says so. Enjoy the hanami, people, but don't be selfish in doing so.

13 ( +17 / -4 )

Good move, smith, I couldn't agree more !

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Kurobune: "Good move, smith, I couldn't agree more !"

Some friends and I the morning of lit up a BBQ and prepared for a hanami party and after a while one of the families who had 'reserved' the area came and looked extremely baffled. They said to one of my Japanese friends, "Excuse me, but we had a blue sheet here and were going to do hanami today, but...", to which I asked them rather straight forward where they had made their reservation and when. I invited them to join us, but I think my tone of voice in asking the question was at least part of what led them to silently turn away. I took no joy in it, but I had fun later when the hanami began, in a public space, where I could choose to be at that time. Even with the man lying on the mat in reservation, look at the swath of public space that cannot be used by anyone except him! No one can walk down those steps and under the cherry trees because this man is going hours or days in advance for a private party.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

I didn't realize that people were being selfish on those reservations. Maybe I will start using some of those unoccupied tarps sitting there.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Once the wife said to me "are you enjoying this?" I looked around. I was sat on a small piece of blue plastic constantly shifting my arse to avoid pebbles and pain. There were lots of drunk people about and for one of them an ambulance had been called. A young, very drunk guy with spiked hair fell into a stream much to his friends delight. From our late secured spot I had trucks and constant traffic passing me by not ten metres away. High rise buildings surrounded us. My beer was warm and the food looked less appetizing as each minute passed by. I wanted to be anywhere but where I was.

"Not really" I replied. And that's the truth. Sitting under a cherry blossom tree in a country field is something to enjoy. Scrabbling to find a spot in Tokyo to sit under a tree is just not worth the effort as any enjoyment is measured on a scale 'of least I did it'. But I don't anymore.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

The often raucous gatherings last until the final trains leave after midnight. The trash is a problem at times.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Just find a local sakura tree and hang out under it. Or, scoot out into the countryside...lots of room out there.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Dang! That's the spot I had picked out!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

SimondB thats exactly my situation, have never ever sat under one of those damn trees in the city since. did actually have a bbq a few years ago on the bank of a river under a few large CB trees and it was just me and the family, peaceful and relaxing and not a drunk goon in sight. was actually enjoyable.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

If you're insisting on doing a hanami party, go to some place where it you won't forget the experience anytime soon: Mount Yoshino southeast of Osaka, considered by many Japanese the best place to see sakura blossoms. It may be crowded, but at least the mountainside scenery with thousands of trees full of sakura blossoms is spectacular.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Raymond: " Mount Yoshino southeast of Osaka, considered by many Japanese the best place to see sakura blossoms."

You're right, Raymond. It is indeed a beautiful place, though never would I recommend holding a hanami party there due to the crowds. Not a bad place to walk through, though. Also worth mentioning is the grounds outside the National Mint, as it has a variety of types of cherry blossom trees, including, if memory serves, green cherry blossoms (they also have in Kyoto en route to Kyomizu Temple).

What I like is just taking a walk in places that are relatively devoid of people, or at least devoid of people sitting on blue tarps and getting drunk. There is a park outside my apartment complex with a few beautiful cherry blossom trees and the extent of my hanami, usually, is sitting under one and drinking a beer from the local conbini while reading a bit of a book. Very peaceful, very nice.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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