Do you like dumplings more than flowers?―Hana-yori dango 花(はな)より団子(だんご)

Dango 団子（だんご）and sakura 桜（さくら）

Hana-yori dango 花(はな)より団子(だんご)

This is a famous proverb, which they say has been used since Muromachi Period (1333-1573). Dango 団子(だんご) is sweet rice dumplings. There’re many variations about toppings, seasonings, and sauce.

Have you ever tried mitarashi-dango みたらし団子（だんご）?

Dango 団子 used to be essential for hanami 花見(はなみ) cherry-blossom-viewing party.

Some are more interested in dango 団子(だんご) than hanami 花見(はなみ). Because dango 団子(だんご) will satisfy your stomach, but hanami 花見(はなみ) won’t.

You can use this metaphor when something useful is more important for you than something beautiful to see, or when you prefer quality to appearance.

For some people, hana-yori sake 花（より）酒（さけ）.

This has been popular because the expression is quite impressive in that it’s easy to pronounce, listen to, and picture the scene.

There’s a funny derivative of this proverb:

Hana-no shita-yori hana-no shita 花(はな)の下(した)より鼻(はな)の下(した).

花(はな)の下(した) is under cherry blossoms. What lies under your nose? It’s your mouth. So the direct meaning of this proverb is: eating is better than seeing cherry blossoms. As you see, the point is that hana 花(はな) and hana 鼻(はな) are homonyms.

Odawara-joo Castle 小田原城（おだわらじょう）is also famous for cherry blossoms. It's in Odawara City, Kanagawa Pref.