Baked for Blossom Season

Cherry blossom season hits in a cloud of pink haze and aggressive crowds. We love it, we hate it. And you better believe we’ll be posted up beneath the blossoms enjoying our own kind of ancestral flower.

It’s the same thing every year: extreme hype for something that’s honestly… worth the hype. Over a century ago, back in 1910, Japan gave cherry trees to the US as a gift. They were bug infested and had to be burned, but hey, it’s the thought that counts, right? Two years later 3,020 healthy trees arrived. And here we are today. Elbowing past each other at the Tidal Basin for the best selfie.

Or, for those of us who take a more zen approach to the season’s blossom peeping: one gummy down, face up, lost in a philosophical rabbit hole. Just as the mayor of Tokyo intended back in 1912.

The Japanese Figured This Out Centuries Ago …The Stoner Wasn’t Far Behind

Some call it getting stoned and taking a nap, we prefer the term mono no aware. The Japanese concept that everything is fleeting and beautiful in its impermanence — so you might as well enjoy the present moment.

Cherry blossoms bloom only to die two weeks later. The most perfect joint is rolled, only to disappear into smoke in minutes.

Once you start pulling on that thread, you realize the Japanese have built an entire operating system around the idea that life is short and worth paying attention to.

Blossoms & Bud

You know what else has spent thousands of years trying to tell us to hit the brakes and savor the present moment? Our favorite flower, of course: cannabis.

When used intentionally, weed does the same thing that hanami (the Japanese custom of taking in the beauty of the blossoms) does: slows you down, sharpens your senses, makes you actually look at the tree.

Plus, cannabis’ cultural relevance can’t be overlooked; weed was one of the first plants cultivated in Japan, dating back about 12,000 years. That’s almost nine millennia before the first domesticated cherry trees. Sounds like the tradition of “taking in the beauty of the blossoms” might have predated the pink and white ones…

Okay But Actually, Go See the Blossoms

The perfect way to put mono no aware into practice? Make a double-cherry date with some Cherry Chem and an afternoon of blossom peeping. Two ancestral Japanese plants, one extremely present outing.

Don’t harsh the hanami vibe. Skip the crowds and bask in the beauty with lesser-known spots along the Cherry Blossom Map. Sure the Tidal Basin is lit, but the real ikigai is finding your own patch of blossoms.

After a day, or two, or a full month, of spending time becoming one with the cherry trees, don’t sleep on DC’s other flower-related events.

Petalpalooza: On April 4th, stick with the theme and pop a Black Cherry Gummy for an all-day outing of music, activities, and even fireworks. Did we mention it’s free? And with a bonus hit of epic cherry tree views.

National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade: Floats, giant inflatables, and a marching band? We’ll take a loud approach to this one with some Pave flower and front-row viewing of the parade. Ride straight into munchie town with dank Japanese snacks at the Sakura Matsuri.

Sakura Matsuri – Japanese Street Festival: Japanese culture hits the streets of DC for two days on April 11th & 12th. Stroll under the blossoms during an afternoon of live performances and even martial arts demos.

Life is short and it’s better baked. The blossoms are only here for two more weeks. You’ve got the philosophy and the preroll. Don’t miss the hanami before it fades from bloom.

WEED THE PEOPLE