Hanami (flower viewing) at Reisen Koen

Hanami (花見) or can literally be translated as "flower viewing" is another Japanese traditional custom that we've enjoy this year. This custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers and usually "flower" in this case almost always meaning the cherry blossoms a.k.a sakura (桜 or 櫻,), or ume blossoms (梅, ). From mid January to early May, sakura will bloom all over Japan. (*read: Spring Equinox Day (shunbun no hi)*)

*spectacular view of sakura at Maizuru Koen*

The blossom forecast is announced each year by the weather bureau, and is watched carefully by those planning hanami as the blossoms only last a week or two. In these days, hanami mostly consists of having an outdoor party beneath the sakura during daytime or at night. It is said that the best period of time to view sakura at Fukuoka is from March 22nd to April 4th.

*beca moden untuk yang malas jalan kaki nak round taman*

Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) has been a Japanese custom since the 7th century when the aristocrats enjoyed looking at beautiful sakura and wrote poems. Sakura is a symbol of Japan, and it's said that there are over four hundred varieties of cherry trees in Japan. The most popular kind of sakura which can be viewed everywhere in Japan is somei-yoshino (Yedoensis). Japanese cherry trees do not yield fruits like other cherry trees.

*mommy tetap gedix posing walaupun baby SN dah tidur*

Last year, hubby & I enjoyed the hanami at night which is called yozakura (literally: "night sakura"). We've spent a nice time of our yozakura at Nishi Koen (*read: Santapan di Taman Nishi pada malam hari*). As for this year, we decided to join other Malaysians in enjoying the hanami at Reisen Koen.

In hanami parties, people have fun, drinking, eating, and singing during the day or night. It is like a picnic under sakura trees. Usually, people bring food, do BBQ, or buy food from vendors for hanami parties.

As usual, we Malaysians prepared our own food and eat it together at the park. I prepared donut kawaai + nasi goreng sardin + keropok for the hanami. There are lots of other foods such as nasi beriani, sup ayam, puding roti and etc *tak ingat dah*.

*muncung sebab perut lapar* (pic credit: Paan)

*dah boleh gelak sebab perut dah di isi eheh* (pic credit: Paan)

We arrives a little bit late to the place as we went to the airport first to fetch a new Malaysian family that has just arrived on that day. We headed straight to the park from the airport and enjoy the hanami with the rest of the Malaysian in Fukuoka.

*with Aimi & Altaf yang baru sampai dari Malaysia*

We had a great time of chit-chatting as well as mengumpat2 pasal makcik global ekekeke. The park was also fulled with hundreds of Japanese people that were also enjoying their food under the sakura tree.

*tengah mengumpat 'makcik global' * (read: Yatie Chomeyl dah jadi Yatie Tak GLOBAL)

The kids were having a nice time also as they were free to run and play around the park. Baby SN was really astonished by the lovely and magnificent view of the flowers in the park. He had even made several attempt to crumple the flowers and put it in his mouth huhuhu.

*baby SN tengah jakun tengok bunga*

They were also street performance by the buskers alongside of the park. We bumped into an old man who was playing nice songs with harmonica. I am very thankful with this chance to enjoy this year's hanami with my family and friends here in Fukuoka. Insya Allah kalau panjang umur, tahun depan nak enjoy hanami lagi.

# info from : wikipedia, japan guide, gojapan

p/s: untuk gambar2 lain yang lebih chomeyl leh jenguk kat blog Syamim

Psssssttt : minggu ni pulak bunga2 sakura dah start berguguran, cantik jugak bila kelopak2 bunganya berterbangan