SF Cherry Blossom Festival

James and I visited Japantown  in SF on the weekend for the 50th Cherry Blossom Festival. The weather, unfortunately, was not good for a festival. It rained all day and became quite windy in the afternoon but the parade went on. Many beautiful kimonos were soaked in the rain yet participants were still smiling on the floats. I missed the first half of parade for being stuck in a long queue to get in a popular ramen ya. One can not enjoy watching a parade with an empty stomach! But sketching helps distracting me from feeling hungry :)

Looking down from the ramen ya while standing in the queue

James and I joined the crowd for the second half of parade and saw the Taru Mikoshi (a float with barrels of sake). It was exciting to see the float coming! It was carried by about 150 volunteers and there were 2 people (wearing nothing but shorts/ a wrap) standing on the barrels and swaying with the rhythm as the float moved forward. Upon arrival, cheers were heard among the crowd and confetti popped into the air. Happy ending!

We thought we would only stay at Japantown for a short while before going to the Museum of Fine Arts. As it turned out we spent the whole afternoon and evening watching the parade / performance and visiting all the interesting stores. What a gem to find in San Francisco.