The Cherry Blossom Festival or hanami is an important party in Japan where it is celebrated that the Spring has come back.
People come outside and picnic under the cherry blossom. For the Japanese Garden in Hasselt, Belgium, it was a good reason to open the doors for a Cherry Blossom Festival. On 25 March visitors were welcome to enjoy the first cherry blossoms and the Spring sunshine.
And they did, there were a lot of people and it was crowded. The blossoming of the cherry blossom, however, was limited to a few trees. But these trees were colourful in bloom and did not stop anyone from going out for a day to sniff up the Japanese culture.
A questionnaire could be obtained at the beginning and that led you through the garden. This way you would walk by the signs with fun and interesting information and you could, for example, buy a bonsai tree or let someone draw your name. Also, it was possible to listen to the Japanese street theatre, also called Kamishibai. A music group brought atmosphere with Japanese drums, which is better known to us as Taiko. Those who got hungry could feast on a delicious Japanese waffle or other Japanese treats.
A suggestion for those who are in the vicinity of Amsterdam this weekend, the Cherry Blossom Festival will take place at the Amsterdamse Bos (Bloesempark) on Saturday 7 April from 13.00. More information can be found here.
