Hanami

In the last 2 days I have participated in 2 hanami (cherry blossom viewing parties). The first one was during the afternoon. The cherry blossom trees along this river were breathtaking, and my neighbors and I went with a group of Japanese folks who volunteer at the international center and some Mongolian girls who are students at Kobe University. There was a ton of cute little packages of Japanese food and a little beer and wine. You set up your big blue plastic tarp, take off your shoes and you sit and eat ( a lot if you're me) and chat. These folks were delightful. They spoke a little English, and my neighbors L'Shawn and Doug( also from CSU) helped interpret. A lovely afternoon. I even got a tennis date out of the deal with a woman who looks to be about 70 and is approximately one half my size. We'll see how it goes (or if I can find the right subway exit).

Then last night some of the teachers and employees of Kobe Kaisei (my school) had a hanami party near the school. Same drill, lots of cute food, but this time there was considerably more emphasis on the drinking side of it. Lots of wine, beer and sake. It was really fun. I haven't been to a party like that in many many years. I think it was a good bonding experience for the teachers.