On Sunday, May 6th, 2012, members of JETAA Toronto, JAVA, and U of T’s JCSA gathered at High Park for the 6th annual Hanami Picnic. Unfortunately, this year’s weather had been a little warmer than usual in the earlier spring months and the cherry blossoms bloomed weeks ahead of its scheduled time. However, that didn’t stop everyone from enjoying the beautiful weather and turning the event into a Post-Hanami Picnic instead.
Our group arrived early to set up blue picnic tarps and then awaited the arrival of others. Pretty soon, people started to show up and the park was filled with cheerful chattering. Similar to previous years, everyone gathered around the tarps and enjoyed a pot-luck style lunch that consisted of various types of snacks, drinks, and even Japanese patisseries. Some people took the chance to catch up and chat with friends, mingle and meet new people, while others opted to move their bodies and play badminton or other sports.
Even though there were no cherry blossoms to view, everyone still enjoyed the picnic to the fullest and display the true essence of Hanami, which is all about community gathering and exchange. The Hanami Picnic was a wonderful opportunity for members of the different organizations to communicate and get to know one another. As always, the even was a great success and it proved that the long-standing Japanese tradition can be upheld even right here in Toronto.
