cherry blossoms in San Francisco’s Japantown
© Janine Boylan

The Beauty in Japanese Traditions

This time of year, many families in Japan are not checking weather sites for weather but for sakura, which are cherry blossom forecasts. This is the season for hanami, or picnics under the pale pink blossoms.

The Cherry Blossom Custom

Centuries ago, emperors and elite began the practice of cherry blossom viewing. Over the years, more and more people adopted the custom, and, in the 1700s, Shogun ruler Tokugawa Yoshimune planted cherry trees specifically to encourage the tradition. Now viewing cherry blossoms is a deeply-rooted part of the Japanese culture.

Like many of the Japanese customs, viewing cherry blossoms is meant to be an appreciation for beauty and detail. It’s the same attention to detail that is required for other Japanese arts, such as complex origami, precise flower-arranging, and flawless zen gardens.

cherry blossoms
© Janine Boylan

A Local Celebration

I was not ready to notice any good details when I arrived at the Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco’s Japantown. It had taken some serious strategy to wrestle a parking spot, and the sidewalks were packed with people shoulder-to-shoulder. On top of all that, my camera wasn’t working, and I had to rely on my loyal, but less high definition, phone to document the day.

I rushed past a blur of trees, top-heavy with pink blossoms, to view the performance arena.

On stage were the San Francisco Taiko Dojo. The performers were magically pounding the front, back, and sides of giant drums. The rhythm quickly beat out the frustration I had felt on the journey to this spot.

Taiko drummers display energy, rhythm, and grace.
© Janine Boylan

And then I noticed the petals. The delicate pink cherry blossom petals were gently wafting through the taiko performance, as if they were sprinkling their approval.

Falling petals are sprinkled in a fountain.
© Janine Boylan

It was a classic Oh, I See moment. This is what the festival was about: noticing the details and beauty around us. I needed to keep my eyes open for that.

Taking Time for Tea

A tea ceremony after the drumming reinforced this lesson.

Accepting the bowl of tea
© Janine Boylan

Like the tradition of appreciating cherry blossoms, the tea ceremony has been part of the Japanese culture for hundreds of years.

It is a meticulously planned event which includes carefully chosen utensils and perfectly arranged flowers.

During the ceremony, a trained host prepares tea for guests by following a procedure that has been studied and practiced for years. The beauty in the ceremony is in how gracefully the host moves, the inlaid decorations in the tea scoop, the selection and arrangement of the flowers, and hundreds of other thoughtful details.

The hostess prepares tea during the traditional Japanese tea ceremony.
© Janine Boylan

Reconsidering the Day

It forced me to think back to my morning and appreciate all of the details I had missed in my hurry.

Sure, getting parking had been a hassle for a few minutes. But the spot I found was very close to the festival and just perfect.

Yes, I didn’t have my bigger camera, but I at least I did have a phone camera, so not all was lost.

And I was reminded to stop and smell view the flowers.

Turns out that participating in the Japanese cherry blossom cultural tradition had yielded a perfect day, down to the last detail.

If you would like to attend the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco, the event continues April 20-21, with the Grand Parade on Sunday afternoon.

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