We are here in Gappo Koen in Aomori City to do some Hanami.
Hanami means Flower viewing, but it is when people get together to celebrate the coming
of spring marked by the opening of the cherry blossoms. In Aomori the opening of the flowers
is especially welcome after the harsh winter.
While the aim of Hanami was originally to appreciate the beautiful blossoms, now it is
more of a chance to eat, drink and be merry with friends
in fact there is a saying hana yori dango which means dumplings rather than flowers which
expresses just that!
I asked a few people what it is that they like about hanami.
(interviews)
It's pretty simple to do some flower viewing. All you need is a plastic sheet, some food and
drink, and a few friends. Once you have found a spot to place your plastic sheet you can
sit down and get on with the party.
During hanami season lots of food and game stores pop up at popular hanami spots like
Gappo Park.
We found ourselves a good spot here so now we are going to do some hanami.
In Aomori the hanami usually starts around the first week of May however this year it
has come a bit early.
There are a few things that Aomori does differently when it comes to hanami and most of it has
to do with food. While the most popular snacks for hanami across Japan is either onigiri or
dumplings, over in Aomori, yakitori is the food of choice. Other local specialties enjoyed
during the hanami season are chirin chirin ice cream a cute ice cream named after the
sound that the bells on the cart make and ame senbei, a type rice cracker filled with
a sweet treacle like filling.
One of the unique things about Gappo park is it has its own beach, so you can enjoy
flower viewing only a stone's throw away from seashore.
Gappo kouen is probably the best place to do flower viewing in Aomori city. The cherry
trees are really pretty and there is a great festival atmosphere. But ultimately it doesn't
matter where you go for flower viewing as long as you have great food and good company.
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