Hooch 'n Hanami in Ueno

On Sunday we braved the crowds at Tokyo’s Ueno Park to do the traditional “hanami” or cherry blossom-viewing. The wide walkway that leads from the park entrance to the zoo is lined with cherry trees and attracts a huge crowd during the week or two that the blossoms are at their height. Japanese arrive early with tarps and stake out ground under the trees for group hanami parties. It appears that drinking and eating are the primary pursuit but I guess they may look at a few blossoms when they collapse on their back red-faced and soused. Meanwhile thousands of other people walk slowly up and down the walkway admiring the riot of pinkish-white cherry blossoms overhead and glancing warily at the rowdy party people off to the sides.

It is quite an experience shuffling along in an enormous crowd under the trees. The throng of people are almost as eye-catching as the cherry trees. But the humans don’t look as happy as the flowers do. Almost all of the elderly wear frowns and only a few of the younger ones are actually wearing a pleasant look. Many are busier taking pictures with their phone cameras than they are just admiring the overhead beauty.

One pass-through was enough for us and off to a side exit we went. Past the train station and past Ameyoko we went to a favorite little Chinese restaurant called “Mr. Wang’s Kitchen” where we had good but expensive (in Tokyo there is no other kind) food cooked by Mr. Wang (of Zhejiang) himself and served by his friendly Japanese wife. Brazilian jazz in the background and only one other family in the tiny second-floor retreat. 4300 yen (about $50) and we headed home on the Hibiya line.