the cherry blossom festivities

the start of spring is marked in japan by the blossoming cherry trees. takada park, about a 10 minute walk from my place, is the most popular spot around to partake in the festivities. although it was unusually cold this year, for about 2 weeks the park took on a fair-like atmosphere, it was packed with food stalls, carnival games, a haunted house and thousands of revelers. i’m sure some people actually go to look at the delicate blossoms. we, however, use it as an excuse to picnic and party round the clock. i’d meet the girls there after work… [this is a crap photo but it's one of the only ones that actually shows any of the blooming trees. i was obviously not there indulging in my botanical photography hobby.]

without fail the party would grow in size. we’d run into random friends or we’d meet other happy drunks who’d plop down with us. with takafumi...

with conrad...

there were lots of shenanigans including introducing some people to twister…

on the weekend, loads of friends from out of town made the trip.

on this day, liz and i went to the park around noon to ‘basho tori’ or save some space. we wedged 4 plastic mats into a narrow strip of free space then headed home to ready for the party. it’s bizarre to see the whole park cordoned off in people-less sections during the day, some folks arriving crazy early like 6 am to mark off a spot.
there was also the obligatory festival mikoshi carrying.

i think this one is being toted by some sort of club, as one of my old students that i ran into explained. the tiles around the top are the names of businesses and people who donated money to make the extravagant portable shrine. the outfits some men wore were also a sight to see.

regardless of what they say about how asian men are endowed, they do have nice behinds.