Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Reasons Why I Love 日本 #5


桜 (Sakura). Yes, the United States and other parts of the world have cherry blossoms, too. However, nowhere else in the world is the blooming of the cherry blossoms quite so rich a celebration as in Japan. Whoever designed the parks in Tokyo (and whoever is responsible for planting cherry trees along certain rivers) was thinking ahead. For one week out of the year, typically at the very beginning of April, it is a joy to see rows and clusters of cherry trees all seemingly exploding into Springtime. The pinkish, white blossoms reflect the sunlight in spectacular ways, so if the conditions are right and it is a clear day, the entire world seems a lot brighter. At CAJ, there are several cherry trees in the school plaza and it is great to see so many of the students and staff alike enjoy meals outdoors on the picnic tables beneath these blossoms--often during lunch but sometimes even later that evening. It's a spectacular way to kick off the Spring season.

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