narita plum blossom festival

So one thing I've learned since coming to Japan is that they have festivals for everything! Last weekend I went to the Narita Plum Blossom Festival, which was a small celebration that took place inside Naritasan Park, which is also home to Shinshoji Temple. I've been there before, but it really is such a beautiful place that I could go there just to sit on a regular basis and probably wouldn't get sick of it. :)


Anyway, the festival had been going on for a few weeks and this was the last weekend, so I'm not sure if the timing was too late or too early, but there weren't as many blossoms as I expected. Which is not to say that the ones that were there weren't pretty, though! It was also a really gorgeous day out, which was perfect for wandering leisurely outside, which is what we did.


Highlights of the day included getting to participate in a tea ceremony outdoors, which I've never done before! An elderly lady who apparently used to be an English tour guide came up and talked to us, explaining that this is the only time of year when you can drink tea outside under the plum blossoms, so they do it for free at the festival. I have to admit I was more interested in the kimonos they were wearing than the tea ceremony itself (partly because I never know what to do at the tea ceremony so it's always just kind of awkward), but it was pretty awesome to drink hot tea outside on a sunny but slightly chilly day.


We also got to hear some live tsugaru shamisen performances, which were really impressive. It was pretty mesmerizing to watch their hands and fingers move so quickly while playing, and there were a couple of solos where the performers got really really into it. Intense.





I'm glad that I got to see more of the park than last time, including some ponds I didn't know where there before. (I also realized that giant koi freak me out a little bit, though I'm not sure why exactly...) All in all, it was a very pleasant way to spend a Saturday afternoon!