Himeji Festival 9th April 2007

During the first couple of weeks of Spring, Japan looks its best. This is due to the cherry blossoms which come into bloom. Thousands of cherry blossom trees surround the Himeji Castle and when they are in full bloom, they look spectacular. All Japanese people get excited when the cherry blossoms come into bloom because they only last for two weeks in the entire year. They are very delicate and beautiful flowers, but they are so precious and interesting because they live such a short life. If they were around all the time, people would tend to take them for granted, but they are very special and are appreciated more due to their rarity.

This time of year is very exciting and busy as thousands of locals and tourists surround the streets and parks. Many people have Hanami parties during Spring under the cherry blossom trees. The Himeji Castle is a very popular spot for having Hanami parties because there are so many cherry blossom trees on the grounds. I have already had three Hanami parties!

In Hanami parties, friends and family get together, bring lots of food and drinks to share and have picnics under the cherry blossom trees. Some people even have karaoke parties in the park!

On the weekend, there was a huge Spring festival at the Himeji Castle. During this festival, there was lots of entertainment including one hundred koto players, drummers, traditional Japanese dancers and lion dancers. It was very enjoyable to sit under the cherry blossom trees and listen to talented musicians produce quality music.


We spent the entire day lazing around, eating, drinking and enjoying the atmosphere at the Himeji Castle. We even got to meet the mayor of Himeji!
We gave him some quality chocolate to try: Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate, and he loved it! He even posed for a photo with us! He was really friendly and we felt special that he came up to us out of everyone and said hello.

There are so many festivals held throughout the entire year in Japan and almost every town has its own annual festival. It is great to experience Japanese culture and learn more about their ways of life.