[For Seniors] Liven Up Cherry-Blossom Viewing! Fun Games and Recreational Activities

barbecue

Cherry Blossom Viewing Party.wmv

A classic leisure activity: the barbecue.

If you have access to a space where you can barbecue, how about enjoying one together with everyone? Barbecues usually require a lot of preparation—ingredients, a grill for the meat, charcoal, plates, and other small items—but if you use a facility that offers barbecue setups, you can enjoy it almost empty-handed, without much preparation.

While viewing the flowers, you might end up eating more than usual—meat, fish, vegetables, and more!

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to dance

Cherry-blossom viewing heats up: Awa Odori by the Kaminari-ren

Let’s liven things up by dancing together while enjoying cherry-blossom viewing.

You can use drums and bells, or set up equipment at the venue so you can play background music—either is fine.

Whether people know each other or not, if everyone dances with a united spirit, the hanami atmosphere will become much more festive.

It’s also a good idea to prepare a kids’ bon odori so children can join in.

If you designate separate areas in advance for seated hanami on picnic sheets and for dancing, everyone can relax without worrying about bumping into each other.

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Making cherry blossom rice

Perfect for spring: Sakura Rice

When you think of spring, isn’t the first thing that comes to mind cherry blossoms? How about a group activity where everyone makes sakura rice using cherry blossom petals.

It’s very simple to make: soak salted cherry blossoms in water for a few minutes, drain them well, then chop them finely and mix them into warm rice together with chirimen-jako (dried baby sardines).

For a topping, place a few whole salted blossoms without chopping—this makes it look beautiful and really elevates the presentation.

It creates a springlike, heart-lifting table.

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commemorative photo

Yutakana Village Cherry Blossom Viewing Scene EP2

Spring is the season for cherry-blossom viewing.

It’s fun to have a little party under the cherry trees, and even if you don’t drink, simply being surrounded by the spring scenery makes for a relaxing time.

How about taking a commemorative photo together so you can keep the happy moments as memories? A regular group shot, friends lined up together, or even a prim and proper pose you don’t usually show—all are great.

When we were in elementary school, we had plenty of chances to take pictures on field trips and at sports days, but as adults we tend to capture everyday moments less often.

Use spring as an opportunity to take lots of great photos.

Onigiri Concentration

[Senior Recreation] Onigiri Concentration (Memory Game)

What fillings do you all like in your rice balls? Let’s play “Onigiri Concentration,” a game that can get everyone excited just talking about that! A lot of cards are laid out, and if you flip them over, you’ll find photos and names of onigiri fillings.

Just like the classic card game Concentration, you turn cards over, and if you find a matching pair of the same filling, you get to keep the cards; if not, you turn them back over.

If there are too many cards or it’s hard to find matches, you can declare a “service time,” where everyone gets to see all the cards to memorize their locations for a bit.

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Hanasaka Jiisan Game

[Elderly Recreation] Rec Craftsman Series Part 237: 'Hanasaka Jiisan' (The Old Man Who Made Flowers Bloom)

The story of Hanasaka Jiisan is famous for the line, “Let’s make flowers bloom on the withered tree.” Just like in that fairy tale, let’s play the “Hanasaka Jiisan Game,” where you make flowers bloom on a bare tree.

Prepare an illustration of a tree with nothing on it, and then make flowers bloom on it using origami cut into petals or flower shapes.

Get a paper cup with a hole in the bottom, put the origami flowers inside, and at the start signal, shake the cup to drop the flowers onto the tree.

You can make it so the person who blooms their flowers first or drops all their flowers wins, or set a time limit for extra fun.

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Pressed flower making

How to Make Pressed Cherry Blossoms: Easy with Fallen Blossoms! A Secret Trick

How about making a pressed flower with cherry blossoms as a keepsake? Pressed leaves made from cherry leaves are fine, too.

You can make pressed flowers simply by placing them between nice sheets of paper and putting a weight on top.

By the time you’ve forgotten about them, the pressed leaves will be ready.

It would be a shame to pick blossoms that are still blooming, so please use pretty flowers that have just fallen.