Hanami
It's been a few weeks since I posted, but I'm finally getting caught up. On April 9th I headed to Omiya Koen (Omiya park) to see the cherry blossoms.
Hanami is a huge event througout Japan, where you go to a local park and sit under the cherry blossoms with friends or family, you just spend the day together talking and having fun. There is often alcohol involved for adults. There are vendors around the park selling everything from french fries, to takoyaki (balls of dough with octopus bits inside) to corn on the cob.
I arrived early (as usual) and called the organiser. He said he wasn't there yet and would be a while, so I wandered around looking for any other gaijin to hang out with. As i was walking to settle down around the middle of the park, I saw another ALT and we found a spot that was under the trees and near to a large group thinking that as the party got going we might join them. Slowly over the next half hour or so about 8 of our friends arrived. We eventually found the organizer, and moved over to where he and his friends had set up. We spent the day talking to friends, old and new. Hanging out with a group of locals who'd set up nearby, and just having fun. Afterwards we went for food and some more to drink. Eventually we all cought our respective trains home. It was a good day.
Now some pictures from the day.
The little park near my house:
The local train station:
A map of the park:
The path I came in from the station:
Rachel, the other early bird (or should I say, on time person):
Some of my other friends from Borderlink:
Lynn:
Sean:
Emi:
Andrea:
Eli:
More pictures of the park:
One of my supervisor/guy who hired me and a group of girls who liked his shirt.
The locals who invited us over to celebrate with them.
Hanami is a huge event througout Japan, where you go to a local park and sit under the cherry blossoms with friends or family, you just spend the day together talking and having fun. There is often alcohol involved for adults. There are vendors around the park selling everything from french fries, to takoyaki (balls of dough with octopus bits inside) to corn on the cob.
I arrived early (as usual) and called the organiser. He said he wasn't there yet and would be a while, so I wandered around looking for any other gaijin to hang out with. As i was walking to settle down around the middle of the park, I saw another ALT and we found a spot that was under the trees and near to a large group thinking that as the party got going we might join them. Slowly over the next half hour or so about 8 of our friends arrived. We eventually found the organizer, and moved over to where he and his friends had set up. We spent the day talking to friends, old and new. Hanging out with a group of locals who'd set up nearby, and just having fun. Afterwards we went for food and some more to drink. Eventually we all cought our respective trains home. It was a good day.
Now some pictures from the day.
The little park near my house:
The local train station:
A map of the park:
The path I came in from the station:
Rachel, the other early bird (or should I say, on time person):
Some of my other friends from Borderlink:
Lynn:
Sean:
Emi:
Andrea:
Eli:
More pictures of the park:
One of my supervisor/guy who hired me and a group of girls who liked his shirt.
The locals who invited us over to celebrate with them.