Chasing cherry blossoms and catching up with family

The plan took root early this year when my younger sister, Penny, invited us to see the new apartment she and her husband, Mike Tuviera, acquired late last year. We figured the last week of March would be perfect timing; not only would the cherry blossoms be beginning to bloom, but Tita Jojo would also be able to join us from the USA. Luckily, we booked our flights in January, long before airfares soared due to the crisis in the Middle East.

We departed on March 25 and arrived in Osaka to a cool, spring-like temperature of 12°C and a light drizzle. As soon as we reached Penny’s apartment, we settled in and made ourselves comfortable.

People enjoying the Sayamaike Park with hundreds of cherry blossom trees standing in a soft, pink haze. 

Since it had been drizzling all day, our first order of business was grocery shopping at a large supermarket right across the street so we could prepare dinner at home. I was overwhelmed with the wide range of food choices. We picked up assorted sashimi, ramen, grilled mackerel, roast duck and karaage to go with the rice we cooked. By the time we finished dinner and the dishes, we were more than ready for a good night’s sleep.

An enjoyable afternoon playing mahjong at Penny’s apartment in Osaka. 

The next day, Thursday, we headed to Shinsaibashi for some retail therapy. As Osaka’s premier shopping district, it draws an estimated 100,000-plus visitors daily. Our first stop was Hands (formerly Tokyu Hands) in Shinsaibashi PARCO. I headed straight for the stationery section, while my brother Pete looked for tools and accessories for his furniture business, and the others explored their preferred floors.

The Sakura-themed public bus from Sayamaike Park. 

For lunch, we went to the 10th floor of PARCO, which offers a wide variety of restaurants. We settled on a traditional Japanese meal of tonkatsu and tempura — and were even served by a robot! With our shopping bags full, we headed back to the apartment to unload our haul and rest. Later, I crossed the street to visit Seria, my new favorite discount store. It’s comparable to Daiso, though it’s now a 110-yen chain rather than a 100-yen one. I bought some pasalubong items and things for the house.

That evening, Penny suggested we walk to Torikizoku, a nearby yakitori restaurant. Yakitori is a popular dish of skewered chicken — seasoned with salt or a salty-sweet soy glaze — grilled over charcoal. It was a good thing we arrived at 6 p.m.; half an hour later, the place was teeming with customers. We enjoyed an assortment of skewers — breast, wings, skin and gizzard — along with pork and kamameshi rice. Being in Japan, I couldn’t resist a nice cold glass of beer to go with it all. Yum!

The following day, we explored the neighborhood near Penny’s apartment and had pasta and pizza for lunch nearby. Afterward, we visited the mega Don Quijote Dotonbori store. My daughter, Gabbie, had sent a long list of bilins, ranging from shampoo and conditioner to eye cream, makeup remover, facial wash and face masks. I picked up my perennial pasalubongs for my production staff — eye drops and Salonpas — while my brother Paul gathered unique KitKat flavors, including Sakura and Roasted Soybean Powder, for his officemates. Mom enjoyed finding Japanese souvenirs like wallets and pouches, Tita Jojo picked out snacks for her grandson, Lincoln, and Pete stayed busy completing the bilins for his daughter, Em.

Donki is truly a shopper’s paradise where you can find everything from electronics and luggage to “adult” toys and beauty products. Plus, tourists who spend over 5,500 yen and present their passports receive a 10-percent tax refund!

When we returned to the apartment, the mahjong table Penny ordered had arrived, and she and Pete were eager to assemble it. For dinner, we enjoyed another home-cooked feast: sinigang na hipon and steak! Mom and Pete declared it the best meal of the trip so far.

Afterward, we played a few rounds of mahjong until 10 p.m. Penny and Mom emerged as the big winners, and we were grateful the apartment walls were thick enough to dampen our excited shouting.

Our last full day, Saturday, was dedicated to Sayamaike Park just outside Osaka. My brother Paul recommended it after seeing a post on his Facebook feed promising an early bloom. After a 40-minute ride, we found the park lined with hundreds of trees standing in a soft, pink haze. Many locals had already secured spots under the canopy, laying out picnic mats and enjoying their meals.

We spent two hours soaking in the beauty and taking photos. However, booking a ride proved to be a challenge. Taxis were non-existent, and the cars we tried to book kept canceling. Following a kind local woman’s advice, we took a bus to City Hall and another to LaLaport mall. By then, we were famished and had a very late ramen lunch at the food court. After a few more hours of exploring the shops, we navigated another bus and a taxi to finally reach home by 7:30 p.m. after a long, adventurous day. We decided on a “leftover night” to clear the fridge before our flight to Manila the next morning.

But mom, still full of energy and spirit as a result of being the big winner at mahjong the night before, wanted to play more, so we happily obliged. As the tiles clicked into the late hours, I realized that the “perfect timing” we had chased wasn’t just about the flowers. These trips are our special bonding moments with Mom. She loves listening to our stories, retelling her stories and catching up with us, her face lighting up with every laugh shared around the table. The cherry blossoms are beautiful because they are fleeting, but the love of a family is what remains when the season changes.

Looking at her, I realized that after all the years of trying to get here, the real destination wasn’t a place or a season — it was simply being together. Times like these are when I am most grateful for family, making happy and lasting memories that will never fade, even after the last cherry blossom petal falls. — Pat-P Daza