Hanami

Leaf 208 – Garden Poems

 

Yoshimoto Gesso - Cherry Trees above the Water (c.1930s)

花見 ‘Hanami’ is literally the Japanese word for ‘flower viewing’ (花 hana = flower; 見 mi  = looking, viewing), or more commonly it is used to describe the very popular custom of people gathering in large groups and picnicking under cherry blossoms in the spring.

 

 

Benches arranged

for hanami – empty

except for one.

 

 

Utagawa Hiroshige - Cherry Blossoms
on the Banks of the Tama River (1857)