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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