Hachimanyama Park Hanami

This weekend, the flowers were blooming here in Utsunomiya. Time to do some Hanami closer to home. I learned some things from last week, so I went and bought a cooler and a blanket and a case of beer so I could do it right this time. The people I know were having their party on Sunday, which worked out since I drank way too much on Friday night.

Other people were saving a spot, so I didn't get there until around 1. Loaded up my cooler and blanket and walked to the station, took a cab from there. Somehow, I left my sunglasses in the cab, but they were the cheap ones, so now big deal.

The weather was perfect, about 60 and sunny. Ueno was crazier, but I think Hachimanyama park here in Utsunomiya was more beautiful.

I opened my cooler around 1:30, and there was no looking back from there. I had a little too much to drink. At some point I decided to go for it and try the cuttlefish on a stick. I don't recommend it. It tasted OK, but it was kind of sticky and almost impossible to chew. This picture is after the head fell off.
After the sun went down our party was in full swing, but the park was clearing out. A bunch of us Western folks decided to head out for the after party around 10:30. It had gotten cold, so I had taken off my shirt and put on a sweatshirt instead. As far as I know, the shirt is still in the park. Along with a nice flask of whiskey. I wasn't doing a good job remembering things that night.

We went to the normal place, Ice Man's, but they were closed. After all, it was Sunday night. So we went on to plan B. Near Ice Man's, there's a tiny, tiny little street that's just packed with tiny restaurants. With the cherry blossoms blooming and the lamps lit, it looked like the perfect movie image of an old fashioned Japanese street. After our midnight snack, we went to another bar. It was completely empty, but it was open and it had the greatest name in the history of bar names.
After an hour or two of beers and karaoke, I decided I had to call it a night. Some of us have jobs. I finally got home around 1:30, and didn't make it to work until almost 10 today. So, the final tally:

• 1 cooler: $20
• 1 blanket: $20
• 1 pair of sunglasses: $15
• 1 flask of whiskey, mostly empty: $40
• 1 shirt: $20
• 1 case of beer at Japan prices: $42
• 1 cuttlefish-on-a-stick: $5
• 1 beer at the Delightful Triceratops: $7
• Needing pictures to piece together the best weekend in Japan so far: Priceless