Himeji Hanami: Flowers and Friends

Cherry Blossom (sakura) season had begun in my region of Japan about two weeks ago and I had already been to one Hanami (cherry blossom viewing party) east of where I live. However, during that party, it was quite cold and the flowers were not bloomed! Also, it was wonderful because I met and made many new friends, but there were a lot of families and we did not get to enjoy a drink under the trees, as tradition has it. 

So, I decided that not only should we have our own Hanami among our friends, but in fact, it was absolutely necessary for the spring-time Japan experience; and what a better place to have it, but the epic castle of Himeji? 

I then set up an invitation to groups of friends and got enough responses to choose our date. I knew everyone wouldn't be able to make it due to busy schedules, but I knew that the group that was going would be fun and I would get to meet some more teachers that were new through my friend Meredith. I was very excited at this idea as I love meeting new people, especially for such a special occasion! I also invited one of my intermediate students because I knew she would enjoy the party and also because she is one of the kindest people I have ever met. 

The plan was to meet at Tarumi station to catch the train to Himeji, but some people wanted to meet at the park. That was fine with me so I met Meredith and her three other friends in Tarumi and we were off for our adventure. We were all very excited about our adventure, our day, and getting to know each other and as we sat, talked, and laughed on the train I could see we were catching stares. But hey, I thought, when are 5 foreigners on a train together not going to catch stares in a Suburb in Japan? 

When the train finally made it's way into the Himeji station we all gathered our supplies and headed in search of a bank and a market. We found the band, went to the market, and were on our way to the Castle Grounds. As we approached the park we noticed how crowded this was going to be, but regardless we were excited and sampled some of the local fare from vendors on the street side. 

We then met up with a student and my friend and Co-Teacher Miho. We found out spot near the castle in the middle of the large field filled with groups of business men, students, and families. We strategically placed ourselves between a group of University Students who seemed into sports, and a group of salary men who seemed far past their alcohol limit. This proved to be the best decision ever as through out the afternoon we took pictures with the businessmen, and were given copious amounts of Sake, and played endless games of Japanese style dodgeball with the University students. 

All in all, the Hanami was a success! I wish it was sakura season year-round.