Read this travelogue written by Sandhyaa Venkatchalam on her trip to Japan, wherein she shares her experience of witnessing cherry blossoms in the land of the rising sun.
“In the cherry blossoms shade, there is no such thing as a stranger.” – Kobayashi Issa
When layers of snow melt away and crispy loops of wintry air give way to scented springs; little buds on cherry trees start blooming, and soon the soft & fluffy blossoms of Sakura, artfully paint the entire island nation of Japan, in beautiful shades of rosy pinks, creamy peaches and pearly whites.
The informal national flower of Japan, cherry blossoms (Sakura) which have immeasurably stolen the hearts of the Japanese…is a flower that attractively blooms just once a year during spring, stays on for just a couple of weeks or slightly a little more, and then disappears the rest of the time, only to show up again with the same dose of regality the next spring.
Japan is the country which customarily began celebrating the oncoming of spring in the form of ‘cherry blossom festival’, which lasts from March unto early April.
The Sakura Festival is not merely a one-time annual affair to party-n-play under the ornamental trees, but has got a profound meaningful existence in Japanese society. This short window of blooming is honoured and looked upon with gaiety, for it is seen as a ‘magic wand’ of new beginnings and renewed hopes.
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Immersing in the spring tales of Japan cheerfully filled with cherry tales, imparts a deep sense of comfort and manages to captivate its viewers, century after century, and generation after generation. Families get busy preparing for their much-awaited get-togethers and picnic-lunches, below the low-hanging branches, in the innumerable festive cherry tree parks – a centuries-old social practice called hanami which means ‘cherry blossoms viewing’ in Japan. The timeless tradition is carried into modern-day lifestyles with unwavering grace and dignity.
Clicking ‘selfies’ with cherry blossom trees has gone viral; like an opportunity to have a bite at the cherry, people blush in front of flushes of cherry petals – a perfect ‘Instagrammable’ moment! While Japan is not the only ‘Sakura’ destination in the world, cherry blossom lovers have got a number of places to choose: from South Korea and Taiwan, to Brooklyn, New York and Washington DC. Likewise, from Singapore and Thailand to London and Edinburgh, and believe it or not, nowadays even in some places in India!
Albeit, Japan remains the indomitable hotspot of cherry blossoms!
The magical ‘aura of Sakura’ combined with the fantastical order of life in Japan, escalates the ‘pinked’ perceptions of these flowers, leaving an indelible impression and lasting mesmerization in all.
Having heard enough about the Japanese obsession and overdose with Sakura, certainly not as a fetish but purely out of fascination, I decided to witness it myself in March last year. The very first place that I wanted to go to, for ‘Sakura-viewing’ after landing in Japan, is the Meguro-gawa or River Meguro, the most iconic spot for hanami, in the heart of Tokyo city.
As soon as I reached there later in the evening, I felt like an ‘Alice in Wonderland’. The entire place looked bejewelled; with beautiful cherry trees overhanging on both sides of a narrow river canal, illuminated pink-yellow lanterns along these trees forming dazzling columns of reflections on the edges of the clean streamlet, and in concert rendering a rosy glow to the peachy blossoms above them. A slight drizzle and cool breeze, causing branches to sway gently, from which delicate petals shaken off can be seen drifting in the air like ‘petal flakes’ before settling down on the surface of the water – all this against the backdrop of the dark evening sky was entrancing!
Meguro river, also nicknamed as ‘Sakura River’ is a calm waterway, 8-kilometers in length that begins in Musashino Plateau in western Tokyo. It meanders through many plush residential and corporate neighbourhoods before pouring into the Tokyo Bay.
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It is the ‘Nakameguro’ neighbourhood which is lined with a thousand cherry trees (4 km) that turns into an impressive festive spectacle when the trees burst into decorative blooms between March to April, after a long spell of winter every year.
This part is an underground storm drain, whose surface level has been landscaped into a shallow creek by diverting a little water. There are many bridges at regular intervals from where the best views of the flower canopies that form over the river can be captured.
The entire flower corridor has been aesthetically enhanced by laying pedestrian pathways on either side of the river banks, which become pleasant urban green spaces when fresh leaves eventually replace blossoms that fall off within a couple of weeks. Smitten by the prepossessing flowers, people usually flock to this place, owing to the popularity gained for its romantic riverside dining ambience; with innumerable galleries, sweet marts, restaurants, gift shops, cafes and bars. It should therefore be of no surprise to see a sea of people rejoicing at the promenade during the most awaited Sakura season of the year.
Here, I did not fail to notice all of those Japanese characteristics which make them so unique and a world of their own. Despite the colossal cheer among swelling crowds teeming with tens of thousands, there was no chaos, no noise; just innocent giggles and soft sounds of laughter all around. They cheerfully stood in queues at cafes patiently waiting for their turn where there was no quarrelling, no shoving. They were mindful and respectful of everyone present and showed genuine consideration towards those who were busy clicking photographs or even group-selfies, without hurrying or fighting for the same photo spot. Loads of them wore face masks as a precaution although the rule mandating them during the covid pandemic had been lifted. One quality of theirs that stood out for me was that no one bothered to touch let alone steal any of the numerous belongings that were carelessly left strewn below the trees while people were joyously making merry.
There are more ways by which the Japanese express their never-ending adulation and aggrandize Sakura – through engaging works of art, craft, poetry, music, folktales and novels. A plethora of consumer goods (like bags, stationary, clothes and accessories) bearing cherry blossom motifs sell like hot-cakes in this season. Sakura is also a useful ingredient as a mild flavouring agent in Japanese sweets and desserts. Sakura extracts are also common in cosmetics like skin crèmes and perfumes.
In the following days of my trip, I visited many other parks, boulevards, shrines and gardens that are famous for cherry trees, each superseding the other in terms of hypnotic allure and knock-out beauty; but in my heart of hearts, the candyfloss-like Sakura at River Megura, is the cream of the crop that tickled me pink, pulling no punches!
“It is true as they say that the blossoms of spring are all the more precious because they bloom so briefly.” – Murasaki Shikibu.
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