Entertainments and performances to liven up cherry-blossom viewing: spring mini games
When it comes to spring, the number one event is definitely cherry-blossom viewing (hanami)!
You can relax with your favorite drink while gazing at the beautiful cherry blossoms, or enjoy a get-together or party with everyone.
But when you’re asked to provide some entertainment or a performance—or you want to plan something yourself—it’s not always easy to come up with ideas on the spot.
So in this article, we’ll introduce activities and performances that will liven up your hanami!
We’ve also picked out games you can enjoy even when it’s hard to be loud.
One of the real joys of hanami is enjoying the beautiful cherry blossoms in between doing these activities and performances.
Here’s to a hanami that everyone can enjoy and get excited about together!
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- Cherry blossom songs to listen to in spring. Beautiful masterpieces and popular tracks about sakura.
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- Recommended sakura songs for elementary school kids: classic and popular spring tunes
- Cherry blossom songs recommended for women: beautiful classic and popular spring tracks
- A roundup of popular cherry blossom songs sung by male artists
- Songs of Nighttime Cherry Blossoms: A curated selection of classic and popular cherry blossom tracks that evoke a dreamlike scene!
- Japanese Pop ‘Sakura’ Song Rankings [2025]
- A cherry blossom song with great lyrics. A wonderful, heartwarming message.
- Popular Sakura Song Ranking [2025]
- [Spring Love Songs] Recommended Classics and Popular Love Songs to Listen to During Cherry Blossom Season
- [Popular] Perfect for performances and party acts! A roundup of hype Vocaloid songs
Entertaining Performances and Sideshow Acts to Liven Up Cherry-Blossom Viewing: Spring Mini Games (21–30)
Become the windAyano Tsuji
Ayano Tsuji’s “Kaze ni Naru” features gentle ukulele tones and a soft, refreshing vocal that really enhances the charm of rhythm jump rope.
In the chorus, try incorporating two-beat jumps and running steps—moves that make it easy to match the rhythm.
In the latter half, the criss-cross gets a bit faster.
The key is to keep your arms from spreading too wide, minimize your movements, and cross while you jump.
Adjust how you swing the rope so you can land your tricks smoothly in time with the music—good luck!
Nanjamonja
One of the classic board games where memory and quick reactions are key.
As long as you have cards with characters drawn on them, you can easily make your own and enjoy it.
Participants take turns flipping over cards and give each appearing character a name using their imagination.
When a card that already has a name appears, everyone tries to recall and shout the name, and the fastest person earns a point.
As the game progresses, there are more names to remember and the difficulty increases.
Incorporating the names of people present could make it even more exciting.
Cushion (chair) grabbing game
The game of musical chairs is something everyone played as a child—it’s no exaggeration to say that almost everyone has tried it.
You set up one fewer chair than the number of participants in a circle, the players walk around them to music, and when the music stops, everyone tries to sit.
Whoever fails to get a seat loses and is out, then you remove one chair… and continue until only one person remains and wins.
Have you played it as an adult? I bet it would turn into a seriously heated battle among grown-ups.
It would probably be just as exciting if you did it on floor mats with cushions instead of chairs.
『Chai Maxx』
Dancing to Momoiro Clover Z songs really gets the crowd going, doesn’t it? “Ikuze! Kaitō Shōjo” is often featured as a go-to for performances and dance numbers, but dancing to this song, “Chai Maxx,” is super exciting too! Many people will probably think, “Hey, I’ve seen some of these moves before.
.
.” That’s because the choreography for this song incorporates movements and dances that appear in The Drifters’ comedy bits.
It’s likely to be a hit with older audiences as well, don’t you think?
I wanted to see you.
Aitakatta, released in 2006 as AKB48’s major-label debut single, stands alongside Heavy Rotation and Koi Suru Fortune Cookie as one of AKB’s signature songs.
It’s perfect as a dance track—let’s dance to this tune and liven up the cherry-blossom viewing! Dancing to AKB songs is even more exciting with a larger group.
And above all, coordinating matching outfits that look like school uniforms instantly makes it feel more authentic and super cute.
It’ll be a hit even if men wear skirts and dance!
Wotagei to “Senbonzakura”
No matter the setting, otagei always gets people hyped! Since it’s cherry blossom season, how about doing otagei to “Senbonzakura” here? Even though it’s called otagei, it’s a solid performance in its own right, so I’m sure it would liven up a hanami party.
Glow sticks with night-time cherry blossoms would be awesome, too!
Earphone Blasting Game
The “Earphone Blast Game” is a game where you listen to music at full blast through earphones and try to read what the other person is saying just from their lip movements.
You might think short phrases would be easy, right? But in reality, you rarely get it in one go, and as soon as the phrase or sentence gets even a bit longer, the difficulty skyrockets.
It’s also a game that gets really lively with larger groups.
The words gradually change, and in the end you end up with complete nonsense, guaranteeing a round of laughter for everyone.