Hanami Season Comes to North!

It begins...

This past weekend was the start of Golden Week in Japan. It is a spring holiday season marked by festivals, sales, and in the northern regions of Japan, hanami. One of the most symbolic seasons in Japan, spring represents new life and new beginnings. It is the season when boys are celebrated as families hang beautifully ornate or simple banners that look like koi outside their homes to represent each son in the family and bring them good health. In the northern prefectures—including Iwate—this time of spring also means hanami season. Hanami essentially means flower or “hana” viewing. But it’s not just looking at the purty flurs. Hanami means appreciating the incredibly beautiful cherry blossoms with large or small parties of people, camping out on tarps under the branches of a sakura tree, and of course copious eating and drinking. In parks around Japan, vendors set up food and drink stands. You might see squid or fish roasting over coals, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, beer, LOTS of mocha, dumplings, oyster bars, every imaginable yaki—if it can be yaki, it’s there: takoyaki, yakitori, okonomiyaki, yakisoba…

But what are you appreciating then, with this party atmosphere? What makes these hanami so significant. It’s a flower. Right? Cherry blossoms bloom for a short amount of time and the fact that they coincide with the calendar change of seasons only emphasizes the symbolism of how short-lived beauty and youth are. You appreciate your youth and life while you have it because before you know it, it’s winter again and everything else is just a memory. Of course, that’s the latent content. The fun is in going to a park with friends and family and partying it up!

Pleasure boats cruise the Kitakami-sawa

In Kitakami, Tenshochi Park is the place to be. As one of Japan’s top hanami parks, it has a long lane along the banks of the Kitakami River lined with sakura. A horse drawn carriage moves up and down the lane, pleasure boats run up and down the river and giant koi banners are strong from one bank to another. In the steady breeze that seems just as residential as the locals of Kitakami, the koi look like they’re in a constant aerial migration over the light pink branches and blue-green water.

I love sakura. And when I found out that I would be living a short walk from Tenshochi, I was psyched! I’ve made a number of great new friends and this past week, finally decided to make a move on a group hanami. With our powers combined, we arranged to meet in the park on Saturday: bring your own drinks, food and hanami mat. 

Since the weekend was going to be three days long, things launched on Friday. My friend, Harue and her friends Takeo and Chisa, picked me up and we drove to the train station where James, who lives a just a few minutes away, arrived at Kitakami station along with Leigh, another Kitakamian! We made our way to a local bar for food and drinks and of course a good hearty belly laugh or two. Chisa and I practiced our Japanese and English together: Mom would be so proud that I can read and order a　ジントニク or ルムコキ. Eventually, Patrick joined us after a valiant drive from Ninohe during Golden Week traffic. Mad props! We then descended upon our go-to second location, Roots (yes, this is a shameless plug for my favorite bar, catchphrase “Welcome to Roots, Don’t Ask Questions.” I might have made that up). 

Then it was Saturday. In hindsight, it was a success. I say success in that everyone plus a few extras made it and we had food and great company. It was less successful in that the weather was less than ideal. It was cold and cloudy and windy, but every now and then the sun would come through and the rain  would let up. 

And regardless, the park was full of people walking up and down the lane and the horse carriage was busy all afternoon. Patrick and I got to the park first, and we were joined by Allie, Tom, Leigh, Devin, Kelly, James, Annik, Limor and a few of Kelly’s, Allie’s and Tom’s friends besides. When the cold was more than anyone could stand anymore, we packed up and decided to find a place for dinner. If you’ve never walked down a cherry blossom lane with a group of very jovial English language teachers, give it a try sometime. 

Now for some godforsaken reason, I ended up the ring leader of this parade of fools through Kitakami on a mission to find a restaurant that could accommodate our party. Cheers to James for his incomprehensible charisma which helped us find our way to a few locations and eventually to a great traditional restaurant for drinks, yakitori and tonkatsu. It was great: tatami mats and kneeling on pillows.

Limor, Kelly and Annik thawing out...

Hilarity ensued.

Towards the end of the night, we were greeted by a drunken Japanese man from another party who spoke very good English…so good that he shook Tom’s U.K. hand and clearly said “You speak the best English. The right English!” He’d been taught English by another Englishman!"

Our party then trekked over to Roots for a nightcap and the most incredible communal burger any of us have ever tasted! There may or may not have also been some taxidermy-based friskiness and some minor puppetry with a jumbo Woody the Cowboy doll.

After Roots, everyone went to karaoke, but Patrick, Kelly and I were completely done for the night so we called it and made our way back to my Leo Palace.

On Sunday, Patrick and I strolled around Kitakami. One of the great things about this town is there’s always something to surprise you. We poked around a cramped little secondhand store where the owner keeps a pug along with some of the oldest electronics, craziest records and most high-end Dolce and Gabbana handbags! I also showed him my favorite shrine and the enigma that is American World, where we stumbled on an event featuring some traditional dancers! If I ever find a way to do it, I’ll post the video I took of their dance! Then we decided to poke around the Sakurano Twin Mall Plaza. Typically, I stick to the ground floor grocery and food court where James gets his favorite kebabs and the second floor for the 100 yen store and Honey’s clothes, but Patrick and I took it to the next level…literally! Upstairs on the third and fourth floors we found some kitschy little shops but also a sort of junior pachinko parlor with some incredible claw machines! 

That's not food.

Little surprises around every corner, like I said.

Monday, the weather was much nicer…beautiful,
really! Sunny, clear and warm for the first time all weekend. Of course. Patrick and I were going to visit a statue and shrine, but with the insane hanami traffic and my poor foresight, we never made it to the statue and instead enjoyed a little country drive.

When we finally made it back to town, we decided a late lunch as Kappa Zushi was in order: yes, it was a sushi-go-round place. And it was goooooood! I highly recommend it as an affordable and casual venue…and if you’re at all interested in seeing what “corn sushi” is, you’ll have to take a personal trip.

So here we are: face to face with another long weekend! I officially love Golden Week! I’m going up to Ninohe this time and will try to post again on Saturday.

土曜日: Redhii and Ninohe