In 2019, “IROHA” Center Once Again Celebrated Hanami (Video)

On March 14, 2019 “IROHA” center once again celebrated Hanami.

First of all, let’s make it clear what Hamani is (in Japanese 花見). Hanami is a part of the Japanese culture. When sakura (cherry-tree flower) blossoms, the Japanese go for a picnic under the cherry-trees and admire the pink flowers of sakura. Tthis year IROHA center celebrated Hanami in a garden full of apricot trees, which didn’t yield to sakura in its beauty.

Fortunately, it was sunny and didn’t hinder the plans. At first the group, which comprised of 65 people, among which there were 9 Japanese, who have already become locals and other Japanese who have visited Armenia as tourists,

set for Saghmosavank (a church).

After getting to the place, everyone set on to his work. He boys started to arrange the tables and chairs and the girls started to lay the tables. And when everything was ready we all gathered around the tables and started to eat. The tables were full of both the Armenian and the Japanese food.

After eating, we started to play. During the games, Mr. Kenichi Kojima, who has come to Armenia in order to study Armenian and the member of IROHA center Marina Ghazaryan played on the guitar and sang a Japanese song

And those who liked games played gortsagorts, badminton, skipping.

Everyone was in high moods. The games were followed by the ceremony of handing the certificates of the exam, which took place in December 2018.

The time passed so quickly that we didn’t even notice how the time to return came.

Author: H. Muradyan

translated from Armenian into English by M.Vardanyan