Sakura season

Most of my free time recently has been spent doing 花見 (cherry blossom viewing), whether it be at local parks, small clearings or near Kumamoto Castle. This year was special, as roads usually closed due to earthquake damage were specially opened for the season. 

The Japanese really do believe that they signify new beginnings, and to see the development in the castle restoration around this time of year surely brought some sense of hope to the locals with their fighting spirit. 

That’s one thing I love about everyone here; their utter embodiment of the phrase 頑張ろう熊本.

A complete juxtaposition to the delicate beauty of the sakura, was the Aso Fire Festival. This festival consists of various events over two months, but at the end of March we attended the fire swinging ceremony.
This Shinto rituals’ roots are based upon the twelve Gods who live in Aso Shrine. One of them, Kumitatsunokami, is the guardian of agriculture, and people hold a bale of hay (tied by rope) and swing it around their heads for a productive harvest. 

Suffice to say that health and safety would have a field day, with bales of hay flying into the groups of photographers cowering in the line of fire. I have to admit though, I released my inner cowgirl that night and thoroughly enjoyed the sense of danger and chaotic atmosphere of the whole occasion.

 

Sometimes the hype over the sakura can seem a bit much, and I usually don’t go to out of my way to see it. I find that it’s the places you stumble across accidentally are the ones that are the most beautiful; something I found on a visit to Tamana this past weekend. 

After brunch in a rustic café, we took a stroll along the riverside. Later we headed to Jagatani Park, where we headed to the top of the mountain to reach the observation area, walking through tons of beautiful cherries on the way up, and zooming past them on a giant slide on the way back down. 

In the late afternoon the four of us played some weird combination of crazy golf and croquet, and as the wind picked up the petals starting blowing all around us. We finished the trip with a dip in the local onsen, watching the sunset overlooking the Tamana countryside and the Ariake Sea.

With some rainy weather in store over the next few days, it’s safe to say that soon the delicate sakura petals will be scattered across the ground. It’ll mean the end to this year’s cherry blossom season, but what a season it’s been.