We’re far from the madding crowd. There are no tourists around us, only locals. Other Tokyoites. Our friend Nao is an old pro at hanami or flower viewing during spring, more so the art of hanami picnics. He brings us first to his favourite depachika to fill up on picnic eats.
Down in the basement, it’s a banquet, a feast for the eyes and the palate. An easy option is to grab a hanami bento packed with all sorts of tasty foods such as sushi, tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette), katsusando (deep-fried pork cutlet sandwich), seasonal vegetables and seafood available only during spring, and even sakuramochi (pink-coloured glutinous rice cake wrapped in a salted cherry leaf).
As the weather can still be quite chilly, Nao makes sure we don’t forget a few bottles of hot green tea. Then we’re off to find a perfect cherry tree to sit beneath, to spread our plastic picnic mat and all the yummy treats we’ve just purchased.
We eat, we drink, we chat and laugh, we admire the blossoms all around us. It’s spring. It’s time for hanami.