This spring has been hella cold and rainy, so not only did the cherry blossoms bloom a week late, everyone’s selfies in front of the pinkness feature brave smiles hunched in Seattle-worthy raingear. Which is why we need to be cheered by the pink pleasures of hanami season that don’t give a fig for theContinueContinue reading “Alt Cherry”
Tag Archives: hanami
What do you need for cherry blossom season? Your own light-up Lego cherry tree!
Remember when I ordered all those fab Lego village kits? Well, the Buildiverse folks sent me one that I missed (or I would have already bought it instantly): this light-up pinkness of pinknesses! If you can’t be in Japan right now to see the real cherry trees put on their signature splendor, this is totallyContinueContinue reading “What do you need for cherry blossom season? Your own light-up Lego cherry tree!”
Hacking Hanami: How To Get Yourself Invited To A Cherry Blossom Party
Kicking back under clouds of pink blossoms in the warm spring sun, eating a picnic and drinking with friends – it’s something you always dreamed of doing in Japan, isn’t it? And then you get here, and you discover that unless you’re a member of a work group that puts on a hanami party, you’ll beContinueContinue reading “Hacking Hanami: How To Get Yourself Invited To A Cherry Blossom Party”
If I Were A Thousand Years Old, I Would Not Be Putting Out Like This
This tree is so famous, it has a name: Miharu The Waterfall Cherry I mean, look at it. This tree is a THOUSAND years old. It has cranked out cascades of blossoms like this every spring, a thousand times. And if yesterday was any indication, the grand old lady is showing no signs of shirking anytime soon. Even when it freakin’ snowsContinueContinue reading “If I Were A Thousand Years Old, I Would Not Be Putting Out Like This”
What’s Blooming In Japan Right Now?
So, around this time of year, I get to thinking about how everybody is about to crowd into Japan to see the fluffy pink things, but that cherry blossom season is far from the only time that this place delivers yowzah-level flower extravaganzas. So I made a thing. Here’s what’s blooming when, and the best places to take photosContinueContinue reading “What’s Blooming In Japan Right Now?”
The Best Cherry Blossom Spots In Tokyo – With Maps!
Cherry blossoms at the Imperial Palace Chidorigafuchi Moat MAP TO ALL First of all, what kind of cherry blossoms do you want to see? They bloom in four waves of different varieties, starting in mid-March with the dark pink kanzakura… Early-blooming cherries at Shinjuku Gyō-en then the weeping varieties bloom from mid-March to the end ofContinueContinue reading “The Best Cherry Blossom Spots In Tokyo – With Maps!”
The Best Places To See Late-Blooming Cherry Trees In Tokyo
Many a cherry blossom party has been thwarted by wacky weather or unavoidable business trips, but even if the gods throw a wrench into your best-laid plans, don’t despair! Late-blooming yaezakura come into their full glory after the regular sakura fade to black. The late-bloomers don’t deliver the big pink cloud thing in quite the same way, but I secretly think they’re much more beautifulContinueContinue reading “The Best Places To See Late-Blooming Cherry Trees In Tokyo”
The Best SECRET Cherry Blossom Spots In Tokyo!
Cherry blossoms and crowds go together like long bathroom lines and hanami parties, but at these secret Tokyo spots, you can enjoy the pinkness without getting trampled, even at peak season! Here are my favorite places: • ARK HILLS New for 2019! The Ark Hills development in Roppongi is nothing to write home about…until you see theContinueContinue reading “The Best SECRET Cherry Blossom Spots In Tokyo!”
Alt Cherry
So, during cherry blossom season, people naturally flock to places with maximum pink fluffiness. But if you don’t have any real blooming cherry trees of epic proportions, how do you avoid being the location equivalent of Forever Alone? Behold the ingenuity of even the stodgiest of institutions… If you’re the mighty flagship Mitsukoshi department store, youContinueContinue reading “Alt Cherry”
Cherry Blossoms Lit Up At Night: My Favorite Spots!
Oh no, don’t think you can put your feet up and flip some channels after the sun goes down during cherry blossom season – thanks to the current craze for “illuminations,” the ogling opportunities will seriously cut into your TV time. Here are my favorite nighttime viewing spots. Get thee to the nearest grove and give your camera aContinueContinue reading “Cherry Blossoms Lit Up At Night: My Favorite Spots!”
The Godzilla Of Cherry Trees
Don’t let this big daddy sneak up on you in the dark! In Japan they don’t mess around when it comes to cherry trees. I saw this explosion of goodness last night at Rikugi-en garden in Tokyo, where they light up the all-powerful sakura until 9:00 every night during The Season. But this one isn’t the only monsterContinueContinue reading “The Godzilla Of Cherry Trees”
The Secret Garden
Behind the long, boring building mostly known for blocking views of the pagoda at Senso-ji is the secret garden of Denpo-in. Within those walls is a serene retreat used by the priests for meditation, closed to the public except for a few days each year. But if you’re in Tokyo right now, woo hoo, it’sContinueContinue reading “The Secret Garden”
Cherry Blossoms for Geeks
Which one of these traditional Japanese tenugui hand towels is not like the others? Hint: it’s the one with the poem that reads: “One of these is small, but he stubbornly heads toward his goal, The other changes direction according to how the wind is blowing…” •
Only In Japan 