O-hanami

In Japan, as soon as the famed sakura (cherry blossoms) come out, it's o-hanami time! From what I gather, o-hanami is a flower-watching party/picnic/drinking party. Today I went to the famous park and castle in Tateyama and saw SO many people having picnics under the cherry blossoms. There were some individuals, some small groups, and some groups up to 30 or 40 people. The air was thick with laughter and alcohol. A rather large group of older flower-watchers had started an impromptu concert of sorts- each member would take a turn singing an old Japanese ballad. O-hanami is a kind of festival, so some vendors have appeared in the park in true Japanese matsuri (festival) style. I went back in the evening to have dinner with a friend and partially participate in this Japanese event. It was rather dangerous because a group of pretty intoxicated men were playing baseball near us- needless to say, their aim was less than stellar, and came close to hitting us a few times! They then decided to try to ride a small motorbike around the park until the police came and stopped them. It was quite entertaining, and so Japanese! I'm looking forward to enjoying the cherry blossoms as much as I can, because I hear they're pretty short-lived. Tomorrow I'm off for another day of watching the flowers- this time with my camera!