Eriko Explains Sakura, Japanese Cherry Blossoms

Apr 13

Apr 13 Eriko Explains Sakura, Japanese Cherry Blossoms

As Seen In Kobe, From The In-Laws, Learn About Japan

Hello!

This is Eriko!

Have you already seen cherry blossoms this spring? We can see many cherry blossoms in Japan in springtime. Gregg and Eriko went on a bike ride last week, and we saw a lot of cherry blossoms!

Cherry blossoms are called "Sakura" in Japanese.

They bloom all over Japan during the spring. In sakura season, Japanese people often have a traditional party called “Ohanami,” a custom for welcoming spring.

It is like a picnic to enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms, but the real purpose is to drink and eat delicious food with close friends! Heehee!

Speaking of Ohanami, have you ever seen these emoji?

Many people who have Ohanami prepare these foods and drinks to have fun with their friends!

Sanshoku dango (also called Hanami dango) is maybe a very Japanese thing you haven’t heard of!

The texture is like mochi and it tastes a little bit sweet.

The colors have meaning:

Pink (top): Sun, Flower

White (center): Air, Rice, Snowfall at the end of the winter or the beginning of spring

Green (bottom): Grass, Earth

I'm not a dango person but it is popular during this season.

Gregg took this picture and also added all this to the blog because he is wonderful and awesome and his farts smell delicious.

We sometimes go for bike rides on the weekends. This time, we found a beautiful park and stopped there.

The park is called "Sumaura park.” It’s very close to the ocean and there were lots of sakura.

We enjoyed walking around for a while and seeing the pretty trees. There were a lot of people because it was a nice day, but we made sure to keep social distance! There were also many doggies!