Whisper Cherry Blossom

When I was a kid I used to be able to make my dad laugh without fail, by singing "Sayonara.... Japanese goodbye. Whisper Cherry Blossom..." in a terrible fake Japanese English accent. I tried to search for the words to the song but without any luck. So I can't supply all the lyrics unfortunately.

On this last trip I discovered how important the cherry blossom is to the Japanese.... We first caught site of the blossoms from the train as it was pulling into Naka- Meguro station... as a swirl of pink winding through the apartment blocks. My boy and I both gasped out loud. Once you are down on street level, you have to cross the road & make it past the gaming arcades to get to the cool shops which line both sides of the canal.


The last time we were there it was a hot summer evening and the mozzies where snacking on our ankles... this time it was a wonderland of cherry blossoms. The petals were falling like snow and filling the air. Old ladies where sitting on the curb eating French macaroons, drinking hot tea from a thermos and admiring the trees. Other people had their Afghan dogs out for a photo shoot. Most people like us were walking up and down the canal in awe... we even saw an old man bend over and scoop up handful after handful of blossoms and throw them in the air. It just felt so happy!

It seems like the whole country gets into the spirit with festivals and parties called Hanami. Most stores celebrate with some type of merchandise adorned with the blossom.


There are desserts made for the season... these ones were from Roppongi Hills: Cherry Gelato, Cherry Parfait & Cherry mousse & strawberry crepes. Too bad if you don't like cherry!



Other things I found out were: Sakura is the Japanese word for Cherry Blossom & that they have TV reports on where the trees are blooming!

Here are some at night...



where they are definitely blooming at Roppongi Hills. T