Cherry Blossom

This photo shows the street outside our flat. The street looks a lot nicer at this time of year because the cherry trees are in full bloom. We are lucky enough to have cherry trees outside our balcony.

Before I came to Japan, I did not really understand the fuss about cherry blossom season. However, after living here a few years, I find myself also getting excited about this time of year.

At cherry blossom time, even the drabbest of streets can look pretty. Japanese people love to have hanami parties and various festivals are held around the country. When the TV weather forecast is given, there are also special maps which show the advance of the cherry blossom front from Okinawa in the south to Hokkaido in the north.

Unfortunately, at any one location, the blossom only lasts for about 1 week. After that, the petals fall like large snowflakes and the streets become drab once again.

On Friday, we all attended the opening ceremony at Clara's new primary school. The school grounds had an abundance of cherry trees and they added a bit of colour to her first day at school. More on this in my next posting.