What a treat to picnic on a blue tarp one sunny Saturday in Shinjuku Gyoen (imagine Central Park with a $2 admission charge) among legions of o-hanami enthusiasts. No sooner is sakura season announced than parks all over Tokyo are covered by standard issue blue tarps. Picnickers arrive, step out of their shoes and on to the tarp where a feast is laid out and devoured. In between bites, picnickers rush up to the closest tree in bloom and focus the zoom lens on the prettiest blossom. Paler shades are more popular than magenta, although some Shinjuku trees displayed a range from strawberry to pearl. Sugoi!
Our gracious host, Senichi-san, is one of the "unofficial ambassadors" who offer English tours in town through Tokyo Free Guides. Alice (our first Tokyo visitor) introduced us to the group and since 2007 Senichi-san has become a friend as well as local resource. While the volunteer guides have the chance to practice English conversation, thanks to their outreach foreign visitors maximize their time in Tokyo. The group celebrated its fifth anniversary last year -- omedetou gozaimasu (congrats).
Rounding out the first weekend of this short season our family strolled over to Roppongi Hills for the interactive Art Night 2010. A 13 meter tall balloon installation called Before Flower looked above the throng. Our favorite piece featured six monitors that displayed a variety of neko-chan (cats) doing their thing, with a brief written blurb explaining that watching cats makes people happy. Overhead a huge monitor recorded the comings and goings of visitors as a large arm occasionally patted the stray head. In an oversize playpen groups of eight were instructed to fling pink confetti while onlookers cheered. What freedom sakura time permits to Tokyoites for two weeks a year. No one wants to miss the opportunity.
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