Hanami

Common card · No. 206287

Hanami (花見; "flower viewing"; pronounced [hanamiꜜ]) is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; flowers (花, hana) in this case almost always mean those of the cherry (桜, sakura) or, less frequently, plum (梅, ume) trees. From the end of March to early May, cherry trees bloom all over Japan, and around the second week of January on the island of Okinawa. The blossom forecast (桜前線, sakura-zensen) "cherry blossom front" is announced each year by the Japan Meteorological Agency and watched carefully by those planning hanami, as the blossoms only last a week or two. In modern-day Japan, hanami mostly consists of having an outdoor party beneath the sakura during daytime or at night. In some contexts the Sino-Japanese term kan'ō (観桜; view-cherry) is used instead, particularly for festivals. Hanami at night is called yozakura (夜桜) "night cherry blossom". In many places such as Ueno Park temporary paper lanterns are hung for the purpose of yozakura. On the island...

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