> it's an excuse to get out of the office and get plastered Yes. Visitors to Japan noted the go-out-and-have-fun focus of cherry-blossom viewing more than a c

> it's an excuse to get out of the office and get plastered Yes. Visitors to Japan noted the go-out-and-have-fun focus of cherry-blossom viewing more than a century ago: “The foreigners are there for no other purpose than to see and enjoy, while the natives are ready for the first excuse to picnic. They are devoted to excursions, so the little men close their shops, and the little ladies gather the children, and, with the last baby on the mother’s back and the next one strapped to an older sister, they all clatter away to Ueno, where the daintiest shades sweep the air. They wander along the highways, and thousands of clogs resound by the banks of the Sumida, where the branches sweep off to the river, where the pleasure-boats ply the stream. The roadways are dense with the crowding, surging masses, all kindly, all sauntering leisurely, where venders of foods and of toys are making a harvest.” [1, 2] The trees can indeed be magnificent, but I prefer to look at them where parties are not allowed. I used to go to Shinjuku Gyo-en [3], which is conveniently located in central Tokyo. The last time I was there, at least, it did not allow picnics, so it was relatively uncrowded. In recent years, I have enjoyed the view for a few seconds each morning from the front car of the Toyoko Line train when it makes a brief stop over the Meguro River at Naka-meguro Station [4, 5]. It feels like you’re floating in an ocean of blossoms. [1] https://archive.org/details/womanaloneinhear00fishiala/page/28/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/womanaloneinhear00fishiala/page/... [2] http://gally.net/jatsi/nature/flora.html http://gally.net/jatsi/nature/flora.html [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku_Gyo-en https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku_Gyo-en [4] https://tokyo23.asia/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/nakameguro001.jpg https://tokyo23.asia/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/nakameguro00... [5] https://www.flickr.com/photos/tokutomi/26124371626/in/album-72157666327862876/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/tokutomi/26124371626/in/album-...