Hanami at Tsutsujigaoka on Folding Screen (detail, designated cultural property of Sendai City, Sendai City Museum) Drawn in mid-Edo Period. Hanami, or flower viewing, is a custom in Japan where people gather under cherry blossom trees in the spring to enjoy food and drink. Tsutsujigaoka has been well known as a popular hanami viewing spot in Sendai since the Edo period.