Bloom in the Park 2014 - Fiona Uyema's demo

One of the biggest highlights for me this year was the opportunity to give a Japanese cooking demonstration on the Bord Bia Quality Food Stage at Bloom alongside well-known chefs such as Neven McGuire, Donal Skehan and Catherine Fulvio. 

My demo was scheduled after Catherine Fulvio so I was delighted to get a chance to catch up with her after meeting at Ballymaloe Lit Fest in May.

The large crowds were intimidating but once my demo started my nerves turned into excitement and I really enjoyed giving the demonstration to such a great audience. Although I was demonstrating Japanese dishes most of the ingredients I used were from local Irish producers. Since Ireland is an island nation like Japan we are fortunate to have an abundance of ingredients used in Japanese cooking such as fresh fish and seaweed.

During the day I got a chance to wander around, I would recommend arriving early and giving yourself most of the day to go around to the different areas because there's so much to see. I really enjoyed checking out all the Irish artisan producer stalls and sampling their amazing products.

The following day I started to work in my own garden after being inspired by all the beautiful gardens at Bloom.

If you haven't been to Bloom you should definitely include it in the top of your events to go to next year. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Notes:
The copyright of the photos used in the post belongs to Fiona Uyema. Please ask for permission if you'd like to use them. 

JAPANESE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL CALLED HANAMI FESTIVAL

If I ever get a chance to return to Japan I'd love to go during the cherry blossom season. Cherry blossom is called "sakura" in Japanese and is the national flower of Japan. Every spring cherry blossom festivals take place in Japan and around the world to celebrate Japanese culture and the beauty of cherry blossoms.

During the cherry blossom season Japanese people participate in a Japanese custom called "hanami" which means flower viewing. They sit under cherry blossom trees and admire the beauty of the blooming flowers while enjoying their packed bentos. 

When I was a student in Japan I lived in a beautiful town called Kanazawa. During the spring of that year I visited a park in Kanazawa called Kenrokuen to view the cherry blossoms. I'll never forget how amazed I was by the beauty of the cherry blossoms. It was only later I learnt that Kenrokuen is one of the most beautiful places in all of Japan to view cherry blossoms. 

You should see if there is a cherry blossom festival near you this year as it's a great way to celebrate the coming of the spring. 

 

In Ireland, we have a Cherry Blossom Festival on Sunday April 7th 2013 in Farmleigh House & Estate in the Phoenix Park in Dublin. This is a great festival with family-friendly Japanese activities, demonstrations and workshops. There are also various other Japanese culture related activities taking place around Dublin in the first 2 weeks of April (further details can be seen on www.experiencejapan.ie). 

You can also view cherry blossoms in the Japanese Gardens in the Irish National Stud in Co Kildare.

 

All of the photos in this post were taken by my husband and I during our time in Japan. They were taken in various places around Japan.