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Contents
Posts
Cherry Blossom Viewing in Japan
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009When the Cherry Blossoms bloom in Japan it’s traditional to go to the park to view the blossoms and have a picnic. Cherry Blossom viewing is called called Hanami. Ayako Egawa generously shared her photos of this years cherry blossom viewing.
Ayako wrote, "We walked under the flow of cherry blossoms in the park. It was beautiful!"
Close up of the cherry blossoms.
Ayako continued, "Lots of people enjoy sitting and eating ‘bento’ (their lunch)."
Ayako wrote, "We hiked along the road hearing the twitter of Japanese Bush Warbler.
I like the feel of spring!"
I asked Ayako what the Japanese Bush Warbler sounds like and she wrote, "Hearing the twitter of the Japanese Bush Warbler is a sign of Spring in Japan. They sing like ‘Whoo Who ket kyo’! It’s a unique twitter." Later Ayako sent me this YouTube video below she found to hear the bird’s tweet.
Ayako wrote, "Small purple flowers in the park. They are pretty."
Ayako wrote, "Cherry blossoms in this school playground are really beautiful! It’s common that there are lots of cherry blossoms in school playgrounds in Japan."
Thanks so much for sharing these great photos with us Ayako!
Check out these posts for more about Cherry Blossom Viewing and Festivals.
You can also hear 2 well known Cherry Blossom Songs on Mama Lisa’s World:
Sakura Sakura – Cherry Blossoms (Song #2)
Enjoy the season and try to see Cherry Blossoms blooming near you if possible. It’s worth the effort.
Mama Lisa
“Sakura, Sakura” another Japanese Cherry Blossom Song
Saturday, March 25th, 2006In my previous entry, I talked about the importance of Hanami, Cherry Blossom Viewing, in the Springtime, in Japan.
The cherry blossoms, called sakura in Japanese, bloom at a time when there are lots of new beginnings. Of course it’s the start of new life in the land. But in Japan, it’s also the start of the new school year, it’s when college graduates start new jobs and it’s also the start of the new fiscal year for Japanese businesses.
In honor of the Hanami, in my previous entry I posted a folk song called Hana (Sakura) or Cherry Blossoms. Here’s another traditional Japanese song that’s called Sakura Sakura…
MP3 of Sakura Sakura Played on the Piano
Sakura Sakura
(Japanese Transliteration)Sakura sakura
Noyama mo sato mo
Miwatasu kagiri
Kasumi ka kumo ka
Asahi ni niou
Sakura sakura
Hana zakariSakura sakura
Yayoi no sora wa
Miwatasu kagiri
Kasumi ka kumo ka
Nioi zo izuru
Izaya izaya
Mini yu kanCherry Blossoms, Cherry Blossoms
(English Translation)Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
Blanketing the countryside,
As far as you can see.
Is it a mist, or clouds?
Fragrant in the morning sun.
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
Flowers in full bloom.Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
Across the Spring sky,
As far as you can see.
Is it a mist, or clouds?
Fragrant in the air.
Come now, come,
Let’s look, at last!桜 桜
(Japanese Text)
If anyone can provide a better copy of the Japanese text for this song, please email me. I also welcome recordings and midis.
Thanks!
Lisa
Many thanks to Monique Palomares for creating the midi and for locating the Japanese text and to Susan Pomerantz for the piano recording of Sakura Sakura. Many thanks to HAMADA Miwa and team at the University of Toyama for allowing me to use the Sakura Sakura recording and midi from their wonderful site of Japanese Songs.
Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World Japan Page for more Songs from Japan!
Cherry Blossom Parties in Japan and a Japanese Folk Song called “Hana” (”Sakura”)
Saturday, March 25th, 2006When the cherry blossoms bloom in Japan, at the end of March and into April, it’s the sign that Spring is really here!
Cherry Blossoms are pronounced as sakura in Japanese. In Japanese text, sakura is 桜or 櫻.
Japanese people celebrate with hanami, viewing the cherry blossoms. They have picnics under the sakura trees, with co-workers, family and friends. People eat, drink sake and sing songs. This tradition dates back at least to the 9th century AD.
The cherry blossoms are in bloom for only a week or so. News reports forecast when the blossoms will be in full bloom in different areas in Japan. This is called the sakura zensen which means Cherry Blossom Front. This way, people can plan their hanami parties.
Japanese people have many words related to the cherry blossoms. Some are related to food. There’s sakura yu, which is a tea made with cherry blossoms. There’s sakura mochi which is a confection rolled in a cherry leaf.
Yozakura means night cherry blossoms. It refers to viewing the sakura after sundown. The trees look beautiful against the darker, evening or nighttime sky.
There’s also sakura fubuki which means cherry blossom (snow) storm. This refers to the last beauty the blossoms bring: when they’re falling, gently floating through the air in a whirlwind of blooms that resembles a snowstorm.
There are also songs about the sakura. Here’s a Japanese folk song called Hana (Sakura), in English, with the Japanese text, and an mp3 recording of the song played on piano.
MP3 of Hana (Sakura) – Cherry Blossoms
Cherry Blossoms
(English)How happy, spring has come over the Sumida*,
Rowing up, rowing down in the warm sunbeams,
Drops from the boatmen’s oars look like cherry blooms,
How can I describe for you the view o’er the streams?Lo, see the cherry trees that stand in the morning mist,
I hear them speak to me in a tender tone,
In the eve I love to see the waving willows,
They stretch their hands to me strolling alone.Oh, see the hazy moon rising o’er the banks,
Rows of cherry trees standing o’er the stream,
How I love the cherry blossoms in the moonlight!
How can I describe for you the night like in a dream?*The Sumida River, which runs along the banks of Tokyo
桜 – Hana
(Japanese Text)
Many people in Japan are very aware of nature and the seasons around them. They recognize the transient nature of the beauty of the sakura. The hanami is a special time to take in its beauty and perhaps reflect on the transient nature of all of life.
-Lisa
Many thanks the Japan Information and Culture Center, a part of the Embassy of Japan, for contributing this song and to Susan Pomerantz for playing the tune on the piano.
Please email me or comment below if you know the Japanese transliteration of Hana or if you’d like to send an alternate recording or midi.
Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World Japan Page for more Songs from Japan.
UPDATE: I just posted another traditional Japanese Cherry Blossom Song called Sakura, Sakura.
A Well-known Japanese Song called “Moonlight on the Ruined Castle” or “Kojo no Tsuki”
Thursday, March 9th, 2006John Caughman sent me an mp3 of him singing the first verse of Moonlight on the Ruined Castle. First you’ll hear it in Japanese and then in English. Here’s the mp3 with a Japanese transliteration (so you can read or sing along), the English translation and the Japanese text…
MP3 of Moonlight on the Ruined Castle – Kojo no Tsuki
Kojo no Tsuki
Haru koro no hana no en
Meguru sakazuki kage sashite
Chiyo no matsu ga e wake ideshi
Mukashi no hikari Ima izu koMoonlight on the Ruined Castle
Cherry blossoms gracefully bloom o’er the fields that lie,
High up is the castle wall, where have warriors gone?
Where is the moonlight that brightly shone up high,
Shone upon the warriors who drained the glasses dry?Japanese Text of Kojo no Tsuki
Many thanks to John Caughman for singing this song for us!
-Lisa
Here you’ll find the complete lyrics to Moonlight on the Ruined Castle in Japanese text and with an English translation. I’ll post the full Japanese transliteration of Kojo no Tsuki in the comments below.
Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World Japan Page for more Japanese Songs.
You can also visit John Caughman’s site called Daygig Music to hear more of his songs!
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