Perhaps the most highly anticipated time of year in Japan is early April when the Sakura, or Flowering Cherry trees come to bloom. The week and a half or so that the blossoms are in full bloom is called the ?Hanami? (translated as ?flower watching?) season. It is a pretty big festival time that sees thousands of Japanese and foreigners flock to various viewing hot spots to take pictures and partake in Hanami parties.

The parties are pretty straightforward: organize a group of friends, head to the park, throw down a tarp to sit on under the trees, and drink a lot of sake (or beer, or wine, or whatever you fancy). People also bring barbeques and picnic fare, and for the less organized there is no shortage of hawker stalls for whatever sweet or barbequed treat you?re in the mood for.

Luckily, one of the most popular Hanami spots is a short bike ride from my apartment (it?s a place called Tsurumai Park that you might remember from past entries). During the week or so that parties were going on there, I stopped by a number of times. The best night was when a large group of teachers and students got together. The Japanese people came prepared with all sorts of things in addition to just drinks (which is pretty much all us foreigners brought), so that made it more of an authentic experience. We also had a really good spot under the trees, which would be hard to come by a few days later. I got some pretty good photos of the merriment, which even included a singing group that came by to serenade us.

During the Hanami season I came to think of myself as somewhat of a photographer; the phenomenon is likely common among foreigners in Japan at this time. I imagine the number of photos taken by foreigners over these two weeks must be in the billions. I myself took somewhere around 300. I visited a few of the most picturesque spots around Nagoya, including the city?s castle, and my personal favourite, the Gojo River in Iwakura (which I visited on the recommendation of a student). Have a look at the photos and decide if I should quit my day job.