Coronavirus

Indoors in Spring: Virtual Hanami in the Time of COVID-19

Published

5 years ago

March 26, 2020

Each year, the sight of cherry blossoms in riotous profusion signals the arrival of spring in Japan.

Normally, huge numbers of foreigners come to Japan at this time of year to enjoy the splendor of the sakura. Unfortunately, this year the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has severely dented the number of visitors from overseas.

Residents of Japan too have been requested to refrain from going out when not necessary. That in turn has prevented the holding of hanami (flower viewing) parties that have come to be regarded as a rite of spring.

Foreigners are without fail astounded the first time they see a Japanese hanami party in full swing. They don’t know what to make of the sight of normally serious, scrupulously polite Japanese, who are very merrily deep into their cups, singing, dancing, and otherwise crazily cavorting under the cherry trees.

Many people find it highly regrettable that hanami has been called off this year. But an increasing number of flower lovers are finding ingenious alternate ways to enjoy the hanami season by going back to basics.

One popular strategy to enjoy a quiet boom is to engage in hanami at home. The most aesthetic approach is to purchase a decoration containing actual sakura from a florist. However, many people are choosing to enjoy quiet drinking at home, while viewing images of beautiful cherry blossoms on the internet. Hardly a bacchanalian affair.

In Japanese there is a common saying, Hanami de ippai “cherry blossom viewing and a cup of sake.” It conjures up images of people enjoying the season, the sight and scent of the cherry blossoms amidst a gentle breeze, while composing or reciting waka or haiku that capture the mood. Such pastimes that revel in the changing seasons are a direct expression of the spirit of refinement to be found in the Japanese national character.

Nowadays, wonderful images are readily available on the internet. This spring, it is probably good for us to step back from the current confusion and take joy in viewing cherry blossoms while calmly contemplating the journey of life.

Click here to reach the latest information on where the sakura are now in bloom.

Then take the next step and follow the blossoms into virtual hanami through each of the links below. Enjoy the sounds and spectacular images of spring’s ritual cherry blossom viewing.

◇Sakura Japan〜Cherry Blossoms〜