Hello everyone, I'm Rodolphe from Go! Go! Nihon
Welcome to this new video where I am with Natsumi-san, here
And we are going to ask people in Yoyogi Koen here in Tokyo
what they think about "Sakura Season"
Let's get started!
What kind of flower is the "sakura" to Japanese people? In one word
Let me think
I feel like they are always by my side
For me, it would be "spring has come" or "the beginning of a new life"
It's art
Art?
Yes, I think it's art
"Spring has come"
That's what comes to my mind
School entrance ceremony, graduation ceremony... It's the beginning of something new
That's what this period and flower is related to isn't it?
What do you mean by "they're always by your side?"
What comes to mind first is: "spring has come and
everytime something new starts
the sakura are here"
I feel like that's what Japanese think
Winter is cold
and you have no motivation in the morning
But after sakura start to bloom and that spring comes
A lot of things happen, for example the school entrance ceremony
And it makes you feel better, more energetic
You feel more energetic
What aspect of it is art?
The colours for example,
just looking at them makes me feel healed
It's not as if I am looking at a painting but
just looking at them feels like I'm sucked into it
That's what makes me think it is like art
What is "o-hanami"?
We look at sakura and drink
-You look at sakura and drink? -That's right
During the day and in the evening too, right?
Do you do o-hanami every year?
O-hanami? Yes, I do
With my friends
Just amongst your friends?
Exactly
What about the people from work?
I do that too, with my colleagues
It's a part of Japanese history
We have this image that there are always sakura trees around the castles
And since olden days sakura trees bloom when spring comes
and it's our culture to admire them
So we have some attachment to it
So it's beautiful, in that sense
I see
Who do you usually enjoy o-hanami with?
People from work
You can only see sakura during this season
Sakura is used as a theme for Japanese parks
school graduation ceremonies, school entrance ceremonies...
And sakura is the only flower that is used in this way
So I feel like this is what makes it different from other flowers
People think that sakura flower is special...
During the summer, there are some fireworks
They burst in one beautiful explosion and then they're gone in a second
Maybe it's the same thing for sakura
It pulls at the heartstrings of Japanese people
Who do you want to enjoy o-hanami with this year?
Let me think
With good friends, and
we are talking about bringing handmade food and cake to share
We are currently planning it all
So you drink and watch sakura until the evening
In the end we didn't watch the sakura
Yeah, we didn't
We just took photos on our phones at the beginning
Some people compare it to life
The idea that life is fleeting
Absolutely
I want to ask you: what is sakura season to you?
It's when something ends and something starts
Yeah, and lots of beer
Oh yeah, lots of beer
Lots of beer, lots of sitting in parks under the trees, having a good time
What is sakura to you guys?
Happiness
It's colourful, I like pink. It's happiness in general
Many photos
Yeah, lots of pictures are taken here
For me, I am really looking forward to the sakura
Yeah?
Because this is my first time
And my whole life I was dreaming to see sakura with my own eyes
That's cool, man, there they are!
There they are!
I like the sakura seasonal beer
Oh yeah, the Asahi one?
I don't think it's sakura flavour, I guess
But they have all the sakura on the cans
The package is all pink
So that's my part of the sakura culture
Beers and hanging out with friends
You've only been talking about drinking so far
Japanese people say that sakura represents a new beginning, what do you think about it?
That's maybe true, it makes sense
It's also graduation, entrance ceremonies for companies and schools
So the sakura really represent those times
Sakura is kind of a new beginning, isn't it?
Yes
So Japanese people usually do o-hanami, do you guys have any plan of doing the same?
Yeah, I will do it with my colleagues actually
And friends from Germany who are coming to visit me
We'll do that
I actually have every weekend planned for the sakura season
Really? So you already have scheduled everything?
Yeah, yeah
That's cool!
Do you have any episode or memory related to sakura?
Foreign people might think it's not tolerated to drink alcohol everywhere outside
But in Japan it's totally ok, at any time. No one will come and arrest you
But especially in front of sakura, during the hanami season,
you can find more people who go crazy
This is what comes to mind
Right after my college entrance ceremony
we had a "nomikai" (drinking party) for hanami
and my sempai were really nice to me
But I had no idea how to drink
So I failed, but my sempai were really nice towards me
So it eventually became a good memory
I come from Kyoto
So the first sakura I saw in Tokyo were pretty impressive
I started a new life living on my own, working for a new company
So I felt like the sakura were still by my side. Like they gave me confidence and courage
I saw them with my mom and colleagues
It's rare to see sakura this early in this season
I don't know if it's such a big deal, but...
It was back in highschool
The roadside from the train station to my school was
filled with sakura trees
and when the petals were falling down, it looked really beautiful
And everyone was walking under the trees
Sakura trees always make me feel very good and happy
Sakura is good
Alright, very good, so Natsumi-san, what is sakura to you?
Sakura is a positive and beautiful flower that marks new beginnings
Yeah so from most answers that we had, Japanese people say that it's a new beginning
And I kinda agree with that
Do you have any plan for o-hanami?
Not for now, but I think I'll go with friends
I think I'll do the same, go in some parks, get some beers
Enjoy the cherry blossom trees
Alright guys, so this is about it
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More videos are coming
If you want to come live and study in Japan, think about Go! Go! Nihon
And give us your opinion, what do you guys think about sakura? What is sakura to you?
We are looking forward to hearing from you
We'll see you later, bye!