A rabbit and a bear share a picnic blanket under two blossoming cherry trees. This is hanami — the flower-viewing outing that families all over Japan make each spring, when the blossom lasts barely a week and everyone goes to sit under it. The two trees are the largest areas to fill and the petals drifting down are the fiddly part, so it works well for ages 3 to 5 with a grown-up nearby. Free to download and print at home or in class.
Somei-yoshino, the variety planted in most Japanese parks and along most riverbanks, carries five petals on each flower. The trees open all at once and hold their blossom for only about a week, and watching the petals come down in the wind is a large part of why this tree has been cherished in Japan for centuries.
🍡 What do people eat at a hanami picnic?
Hanami dango — three small rice dumplings on a stick, one pink, one white, one green. One popular explanation is that the colours stand for cherry blossom, snow and young leaves; others tell it as spring, winter and summer. Packed lunch boxes and flasks of tea are just as much a part of the day.
🐰 What are rabbits like?
Rabbits are known for their long ears and large, side-set eyes. The ears do two jobs at once: they catch faint sounds from a long way off, and they shed body heat to keep the animal cool. Strong back legs let a rabbit push off hard and change direction almost instantly — which is how it gets away from anything chasing it.
