People in Japan seem to love limited edition and seasonal things. They seem to embrace the moment and celebrate it. Even before I moved to Japan, my favorite week and a half in Animal Crossing was definitely when the cherry blossoms bloom! All of the hardwood trees, probably what most of us deem "regular" trees, bloom for the first 10 days of April in game!
Now that I live in Japan, I can understand the extent of how prevalent sakura (cherry trees) are here. They are everywhere!!! We have several trees at our local (across the street from our house) park. Even the tiniest park I know has its own tree!
Japanese people take the time to appreciate the moment. Visiting parks to view the sakura is a thing! There is even a name for it, ohanami, which means flower viewing. Having a picnic under the blossoms can also be included. Playing games such as badminton and drinking can also be a part of it.
I didn't get very good pictures, but here is one of people walking by our picnic site this weekend. You can see smaller groups on the side.
Here's where Animal Crossing comes in. I decided to take pictures in my Lolita (Victorian/baby doll) dress that I got in Harajuku (Tokyo). I have always been a girly girl, but not too many people probably know it because it's not practical to always be dressed girly. It's also a lot of work! I went through a period in elementary school where I only wanted to wear dresses. After Philip took my pictures, I remembered that they had a Lolita dress in Animal Crossing and so I decided to recreate my pictures in game!
In game, there is a DIY you can make that is a pile of cherry blossom petals.
I didn't know before coming here that is a real thing! This happened naturally in my neighborhood.
When the petals begin to fall, they truly do get blown by the wind. I have been in parks where it is almost like a blizzard and so magical. This video shows one of the piles blowing around in my neighborhood.
What do you think? Would you like to visit Japan during sakura season?
No comments:
Post a Comment