Spring has sprung

There's still a slight chill in the air, but spring is officially here.  Back in DC, the signs of spring are a little different.  The changing of the clocks is probably the first signal that warmer days are coming.  The reopening of the Penn Quarter farmer's market is another indication.  You can always count on seeing a few young DC staffers in flip flops too.  Here in Tokyo, there is one major sign of spring that everyone agrees on.  Cherry blossoms!  They've only just started blooming, but they are EVERYWHERE.  They really do brighten up the otherwise grayish tone of the city in general.  Earlier today, I went for a run jog, and I was just mesmerized by how many trees there were in my little neighborhood alone.  I've been looking forward to this season since I came to Japan, and it's finally here!

While the sakura are certainly nice to look at, it's not the only reason to be excited.  Japanese people love having hanami parties during this time.  Now, I have been to the National Cherry Blossom Festival in DC on many occasions.  There are tons of people swarming around Pennsylvania Avenue eating noodles out of plastic containers and spending money on origami cranes.  Some of them dress up to look "Japanese."  It's crowded, crazy, and hardly authentic.  I heard this year DC even had the nerve to charge an admission fee.  Outrageous.  But hanami parties in Tokyo are much different.  While there is a long story about how they came about, basically you sit under the trees and drink the day away.  Companies send out their lowly interns or junior employees early in the day to reserve spots under the best trees.  Later, the rest of the department comes out with their canned drinks and enough food to feed an army.  It's a time when people connect with each other in a way that's usually quite uncommon.  People have been talking about it for months, and I'm excited to finally be able to participate.  

Unfortunately, in light of the recent disaster, many hanami parties won't go on as planned.  Apparently officials have told people it isn't appropriate to participate in public drunkenness when there are people who have lost everything.  While no one is prohibiting them, many parks aren't going to help facilitate the usual debauchery.  I think this is very sad.  While the merits of drinking during the workday in public can be debated, hanami is about more than that.  From what dozens of Japanese students have shared with me, it's all about national pride.  The sakura symbolize the spirit of the people themselves.  Despite environmental hardships, these beautiful little blossoms come back year after year.  Their beauty is enjoyed for such a short period of time- you have to cherish and celebrate their arrival.  I totally dig it.  And I think that NOW is when people need to embrace their Japanese pride more than ever. 

I'm glad to see that many people are having hanami parties in spite of the recommendations not to.  Yesterday, we stumbled across these lovely people in Nishi-Shinjuku:

Japanese youth enjoy Domino's pizza and beer- just like Americans!

I don't think these people are being inappropriate at all.  Yes, there was a devastating earthquake and tsunami three weeks ago.  Yes, everyone is slightly tense about the situation at Fukushima.  Yes, people have lost loved ones, homes, and all their possessions.  But the Japanese have a saying about life going on.  Tragedy happens everyday, somewhere in the world.  It can't be helped.  You must go on living.  In this case, I find the public drunkenness absolutely inspiring.  I look forward to experiencing it myself later this week.  So yes, please continue to pray for Japan.  But don't stop enjoying spring- the Japanese won't.