Barbecuing under the Cherry blossoms

You've probably heard of hanami by now. Hanami literally means to view flowers, but it has become synonymous with a picnic under the cherry blossoms. It is a wonderful thing to do and definitely something you need to experience while in Japan. Ideally, several times! You just have to make sure that where you plan to hanami allows people to sit under the cherry blossoms and party. There are plenty of places that do.

Today, I was walking in a park that I don't go to often, when I saw that they had a barbecue area. It was open so I went for a walk around it. Its basic, but a nice space and particularly nice right now as there are some cherry blossoms in bloom. The Somei Yoshino were already turning green, but there were also some late blooming varieties that were just starting.

We didn't do it this year, but we have barbecued under the cherry blossoms plenty of times. During the cherry blossom season we would chose barbecue areas that have sakura trees. Same with camping. It is a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon. A lot of parks, or even open green spaces, don't allow barbecues, that it is why we use (and I recommend) going to a dedicated barbecue area. The municipal barbecue areas are usually very cheap to rent for a few hours, half a day or full day.

The only thing about barbecuing under cherry blossoms is, if you use a tent or tarp, you end up bringing dozens of cherry blossom petals home with you! Especially at this time of year when the trees are turning green and shedding their petals rapidly. As beautiful as they are, they can end up creating a mess. They are very hard to get off tarp type material - they don't shake off, but they do rub off in the boot of the car. I  usually ended up vacuuming or brushing the tarp in our garden when we got home. Not the end of the world, but a bit of a nuisance.

Did you enjoy a barbecue under cherry blossoms this year?