Cherry Blossom Picnic

 

It is springtime in Japan, so time to pack up a bento (boxed meal), wrap it in a furoshiki (wrapping cloth) and take it with you on a picnic. Cherry blossom picnics are held wherever the blossoms bloom all over Japan. The picnics known as Ohanami (literally- looking at flowers), have a long history in Japan.

The food does not have to be elaborate. Sushi rolls (norimaki) and rice balls (onigiri), are perfect for packing up easily and taking outside. I remember going on a picnic under the cherry trees with a Japanese family when my children were small. I brought along a homemade banana cake and my Japanese friends brought a range of really delicious onigiri (rice balls), which had been pressed in furikake (rice seasonings), among other things. At the end of the picnic there were left overs. My friends said, “I’m taking home the banana cake”, I said, “I’m having the onigiri”. We laughed, packed up and went home.

Well, it isn’t spring in Australia now, but in our mostly mild climate the weather is also always suitable for picnicking. For me it is one of the simple pleasures of life. It is always good to get outside and enjoy fresh air and being in nature.

Search the internet for images of sakura (Japanese cherry blossoms), obento, bento, bento boxes, furoshiki and Japanese wrapping cloth for more information and perhaps some inspiration.

Sushi rolls in an obento box

I will introduce an easy recipe for norimaki sushi (sushi rolls) in my next blog post. But, hey if you don’t feel like cooking or don’t have time, pick some norimaki up from a shop and take it to the park. My family did that recently in Brisbane and we sat by the river as we ate our sushi.

Japanese people do not usually take pretty little plates to picnics, they are generally more practical than that, they just serve the food straight from the bento box. I couldn’t resist putting these pretty pink dishes in my pink picnic photo on my ombre pink furoshiki (wrapping cloth) complete with pink paper wrapped chopsticks.

#SushiRolls #Norimaki #CherryBlossomPicnic #EasyAndRelaxedJapaneseFood