For two magical weeks, spring boldly announces its presence all over Japan in the form of sakura—the blossoms of the Japanese cherry tree. Families and friends come together for viewing parties and everyone has a bit more pep in their step. Then, as quickly as they arrived, they begin to fall like snow, replaced by green buds and the promise of warmer days. Enjoy the view!
Part of the large cherry tree grove at Kawagoe Aquatic Park
Our own private hanami (cherry blossom viewing) at Kawagoe Park included homemade vegan sausages
Sakura-inspired beverages come and go as quickly as the blossoms themselves. Pictured are two sakura-flavored beers and a sakura-flavored rosé wine.
This fancy cat dressed up in her best pearls for the Nakameguro Sakura Festival in Tokyo
Tri-colored “sakura” dango—mochi balls on a stick—at Tokyo’s Nakameguro Sakura Festival
The sun sets behind the sakura in Kawagoe Aquatic Park
Lanterns and blossoms at the Nakameguro Sakura Festival in Tokyo
Watch the video in full-screen mode to get the full sakura experience
Need more sakura? Check out last year’s last year’s pics too!
3 Comments
Beautiful, Robert! Does it remind you of the capitol mall? I think I need that vegan sausage recipe.
It does, except that it’s EVERYWHERE! The family we hanami’d with a couple weeks ago were familiar with Salem because it’s Kawagoe’s sister city. I’ve been meaning to send them some photos of the Capitol Mall in bloom.
[…] Japan, each new season is marked by the blooming of flowers. Cherry blossoms and wisteria in the spring, irises and hydrangea in the summer and now red spider lilies […]