又逢“花見會(huì)” 日本迎來賞櫻熱潮

Spring has begun, and so has Japan's obsession with cherry blossoms.

The pale pink blossoms or "sakura" are in full bloom, signaling that it's time to flock to parks across the country for picnics under the cherry trees.

At Tokyo's Yoyogi Park, people waited for hours to reserve the best spots to view the picturesque trees.

"I really enjoy sitting down here with my friends eating and joking around," said 17-year-old student Megumi Kohara.

These flower-viewing parties called "hanami," or "flower viewing" in Japanese, are spring traditions held among families, friends, or co-workers. Parties beneath the cherry trees can go on all day and night, especially during the weekends.

The cherry blossoms are also associated with new beginnings as the country's business and school years start on April 1.

As the blossoms -- a national obsession found in paintings, poetry and literature dating back centuries -- appear only briefly, throngs rush to catch a glimpse of them before spring rains sweep their fragile petals to the ground.

Some Japanese say that the cherry blossoms' ephemeral nature serves as a poignant reminder of how life itself is fleeting.

Unlike in many countries, it is not illegal in Japan to drink in public spaces and the hanami get-togethers involve plentiful beer and sake.

"Cherry blossoms bloom for such a short period of time and then they fall off in a dramatic way and I like to enjoy them while drinking," Tsuneo Ikuhara, 65, said.

Vocabulary:

picturesque: pretty, especially in a way that looks old-fashioned 優(yōu)美的；古色古香的

throng: a crowd of people 聚集的人群；一大群人

ephemeral: lasting or used for only a short period of time 短暫的；瞬息的

sake: a Japanese alcoholic drink made from rice 日本清酒

春天來了，日本各地的賞櫻熱潮也開始了。

淺粉色的櫻花盛開枝頭，吸引了全國各地的人們涌入公園，在櫻花樹下舉行野餐聚會(huì)。

在東京的代代木公園里，人們?yōu)榱祟A(yù)訂到最佳的賞櫻地點(diǎn)不惜等上好幾個(gè)小時(shí)。

17歲的學(xué)生小原惠美說：“我真的很喜歡坐在櫻花樹下和朋友一起吃吃東西，聊聊天。”

日本人稱這樣的賞花聚會(huì)為“花見會(huì)”，在日語里的意思是“觀賞櫻花”。“花見會(huì)”是日本人春日里的傳統(tǒng)活動(dòng)，親朋好友及同事們在櫻花樹下野餐聚會(huì)，有時(shí)一玩就是一個(gè)通宵，尤其是在周末。

盛開的櫻花還意味著新的開始，因?yàn)槿毡镜墓竞蛯W(xué)校都在四月一日開始運(yùn)營。

幾個(gè)世紀(jì)以來，櫻花一直是日本繪畫、詩歌和文學(xué)的熱門題材。因?yàn)闄鸦ɑㄆ诤芏蹋S多人都趕在嬌嫩的花瓣被春雨打落之前去一睹芳容。

一些日本人說櫻花的轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝讓人聯(lián)想到生命本身的短暫。

和很多國家不同，在公共場所飲酒在日本并不違法，所以在花見會(huì)上，人們會(huì)喝很多的啤酒和日本清酒。

65歲的幾原恒雄說：“櫻花在短暫地盛開之后戲劇般地凋零，我喜歡一邊喝酒一邊欣賞它們。”