Hanami (n.) {花見} :: the traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers, especially cherry blossoms. The practice of Hanami is more than a thousand years old.
As spring arrives for its annual sprinkling of happiness and goodwill upon (mostly bloggers) us, it isn’t uncommon in Japan to see groups of friends and couples hand-in-hand (in matching outfits no less!) indulge in hanami, the word used to describe sakura viewing. Flurries of spring snow blossoming within days, floating gracefully to the ground landing on shoulders and nestling upon bento box picnics, showing off in an understated manner to avid photographers, before retiring for another year.
I must admit, I felt right at home shooting outfit photos underneath the beautiful cherry blossoms. If anything, it was just difficult to get a snap of just me, and not with hoards of others in the background! Tokyo, you’re nice, I’ll keep you ;) Having planned much of our holiday around the sakura blooming period, I dressed especially for a day at Shinjuku Gyeon, the national gardens of Tokyo, in whimsical pinks and my new favorite dressing combination: a delicate turtleneck with a little something on top. The gardens themselves are home to dozens of sakura trees, a traditional Japanese tea garden, French garden and classic English landscape garden :: truly stunning.
This particular turtleneck is a number I picked up on my travels in Seoul after spying the look on some seriously chic gals around South Korea. It’s in and out of the wash more times than I can count! I added a little grid print cami (super old from River Island) and tucked everything in to a Pantone pink-perfect A-line skirt. As you can guess, I've taken this year’s Pantone colours very seriously as of late. Classic Mish, perfect hanami style.
Oh! And meet my adorable Luna-inspired backpack! I ordered this months ago and have simply loved using it over the past month or so. It's from Spreepicky over on Storeenvy and is inspired by my love, Sailor Moon. Fits plenty of everyday essentials in and it was the perfect accessory for exploring Japan.
There’s something incandescently charming about these delicate blooms that appear only for a moment each year. Another item ticked from my bucket list! Is there anything better to see in a brand new season? Certainly not.
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