Photos by Mitchell Coster

Cherry blossom season is upon us. Before you break out the sake and spread the blue tarps under the billowy pink clouds, check out TC' guide to offbeat spots to Hanami

Although hanami literally means "flower viewing" in general, over time it has come to refer to cherry blossom viewing in specific. Hanami originated in the period of Japan's rich agrarian past where the seasons were celebrated and marked by religious festivals. Hanami is almost a fertility rite, evolving as it did from ancient picnics attached to the ritual celebration of the coming of spring.

Sakura are mentioned in the Kojiki, one of Japan's earliest chronicles compiled around 712 AD. For many years the agrarian peasants celebrated spring, fertility, rice and cherry blossoms in their own simple ways. Although the common people headed for the fields to drink in the beauty of the blossoms and plenty of sake, the sakura did not gain popularity with the aristocracy until the ninth century when the Imperial family held its first formal viewing of it in 812 AD. Up to and during the eighth century the imported plum, rather than the native cherry, was the focus for noble appreciation of spring. Poems about plums from the period, collected in the Manyosho, far outnumber those devoted to the then humble cherry. In the middle of the ninth century the transference of supremacy to the cherry was marked by the replacement of the plum tree to the left of the Imperial Palace's main building with a flowering cherry.

It was during the Heian era (794-1185 AD) that hanami was firmly established as a seasonal event of some importance. The Heian aristocracy organized elaborate flower-viewing parties, which came to be a thematic focus of the period's arts. By the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1586-1600 AD) the hegemon Hideyoshi Toyotomi's hanami parties had reached new levels of extravagance and elaboration and were held in public for the first time at Mount Yoshino (1594 AD) and at the Daigoji Temple Kyoto (1598 AD). Their reputation quickly spread through the Osaka region and they became the talk of the town.

At the start of the Edo period the practice of hanami filtered down to the common people of Tokyo when the Tokugawa Shogun introduced a multitude of varieties of cherry to the new capital. Read today, the medieval monk Saigyo's poem seems incongruous: "I wish to die under cherry blossoms at the time of the full moon of February." However, the blooming period of these different types of cherry varied to the extent that blossoms could be enjoyed from February (the official start of Spring in the old agrarian calendar) until the end of April.

By the Genroku period (1688-1704 AD), merchant princes, rakes, dandies, kabuki actors, geisha, ladies and courtesans were enjoying parties no less elaborate than those of the Shogun himself. With windbreaks stretched between the trees the revelers would sip sake spiced with fallen petals, eat delicacies from lacquer boxes adorned with the cherry motif and enjoy the entertainment provided by the tayu (elite courtesans).

Short skits known as chaban became popular. These short dramatic situations offered an amusing segue way into the festivities. For example, one began with a pregnant woman about to give birth. The "doctors and nurses" would arrive carrying lacquer boxes and bags of snacks and the "doctor" would promptly deliver the "baby" which was, in fact, a cask of sake. On its appearance, the party would begin.

A darker version would begin as a funeral procession for a child. The "mourners" would carry the coffin to the park or temple where they would stop, remove their bento (packed lunches) from the small coffin, and commence the festivities. This was neither the first, nor last time that death and the cherry would be explicitly linked.

Today hanami has lost some of the elegance and poetry of its past, yet even seated on blue plastic sheets with convenience store bento and special edition cans of beer it is still possible to appreciate the eternal beauty of Japan's national flower and escape into a delicate pink world. Matt Wilce

Where to Hanami:
So all you Tokyoites who've seen countless cherry blossoms come and go, here are a few spots that may not have as many trees as Ueno or Shinjuku Gyoen, but are pretty nonetheless and best of all, may be less crowded. Maki Nibayashi

Seijyo Gakuenmae
Excellent place for a stroll. There are lots of cafés nearby as well so make sure to make a stop.
Around 6-7chome, Seijyo, Setagaya-ku
340 trees
Nearest stn: Odakyu line, Seijyogakuenmae stn

Daigaku dori/Sakura dori
Just as the name implies, this street runs from Kokuritsu station all the way to Yagawa stn. Don't miss the Sakura Festival on April 7 and 8.
400 trees
Nearest stn: JR Kunitachi stn or Nanbu line Yagawa stn

Nomigawa Ryokudo
Over 3km of cherry blossom-lined streets. Be on the watch for local festivals and events.
400 trees
Nearest stn: Toyoko line, Toritsu-Daigaku stn

Meguro River
Over 2000 bonbori (paper lanterns) line both sides of the river to add to the festivities.
650 trees
Nearest stn: Tokyo Toyoko line, Nakameguro stn

Kinuta Park
A great place for a picnic and a family outing. One of the rare parks you can actually drive to, but be ready for a 3-4 hour wait on the parking lot.
1000 trees
Nearest stn: Yoga stn, 20 min walk

Shakuji Park
Another park where you can rent a boat and see sakura grandeur from the water.
350 trees
Nearest stn: Seibu Ikebukuro line Shakuji koen stn, 7 min walk.

Nogeyama Park
A great park right in the heart of Yokohama with a zoo for extra entertainment.
380 trees
Nearest stn: JR Sakuragi-cho or Keikyu Hinode-cho stn, 10 min walk

Harimazaka Sakura Namiki
A sakura tunnel awaits, but the best time to go is at night when they're all lit up.
130 trees
Nearest stn: Marunouchi Line, Myogadani stn, 5 min walk