It’s springtime once again, and that means it’s time for one of Japan’s favorite pastimes, hanami. The sakura burst to life after a winter slumber to signal the arrival of spring, but the frail petals only manage to hold on for about two weeks before the wind and rain claim them. So everyone clambers through crowds gawking at the fleeting beauty of cherry blossom trees.
This time we head to the Meguro area to stroll along a particularly popular hanami route that follows a small waterway.
Making our way towards Meguro river, cherry blossoms line the street, occasionally peeking out from behind buildings.
An elderly gentlemen shows his enthusiasm for the sakura by climbing up a fence to get a better view.
While the trees on this end of the route have not fully bloomed yet, there are still plenty of people out to catch a preview. That includes a fleet of tour boats chauffeuring groups down the river.
Some boats even include a lovely tour guide wearing a balloon hat.
We follow the crowds along the river, taking in the abundant sakura in various stages of bloom. Young, old, and those somewhere in between take advantage of the sunny Saturday to shake off the cold and enjoy the scenery.
Even pets get in on the cherry blossom action.
They say that spring is the season of love, so it may be no coincidence that this love hotel is located this close to so many sakura. I’m not sure why it looks like a bad copy of Cinderella’s castle. But I guess I should be asking, why not?
Speaking of love, hundreds of lanterns with little messages written on them line the walking paths, some of them professing an undying love or admiration for someone. Individuals or companies can sponsor these lanterns, and in return they can write something on it. Typically the notes are pretty generic, but sometimes they are a little more… personal.
Once we arrive at Nakameguro, the crowds really pick up. This particular section of the waterway is a popular spot to take a gander at the sakura.
In fact, the area is a little too popular. Hoards of people fill the streets and bridges around the river.
Security guards become a necessity to do a little crowd control.
Locals take shelter in their homes, opting to look out at the sakura from windows and balconies.
Lots of people wait for a spot on the bridge to take pictures.
Others take a more relaxed approach to this whole hanami thing with a couple glasses of pink champagne.
You would be hard pressed to find a spot around here that didn’t have a sakura tree in sight. Nakameguro definitely lives up to its reputation as a great place to take in the cherry blossoms.
A small red bridge signals that we are near the end of our route. Pedestrians make their way across the bridge to loop back around and stroll down the other side of the river.
Having our fill of cherry blossoms, we head to a less crowded area back home.
Even though we were a little early, the partially bloomed sakura were still beautiful. Next time we will have to check out Nakameguro at night for yozakara.