ur first pleasure on arrival was the gentle welcome of a cool spring shower. With our raingear and umbrella, we walked with cousin Tom back to his parents' Tokyo apartment. "The cherry blossoms are almost at their prime," he said. "Hopefully the weather will clear up and you'll be able to see them. They're really great around the palace." The weather didn't clear up the next day, but we didn't mind. We strolled around the Imperial palace enjoying the blossoms and the cool, quiet atmosphere. At one point it began showering, and Dave, buttoning up his raincoat said, "I feel like a duck back in the water." He had escaped the heat.
apanese people really make the most out of cherry blossom season. These fleeting harbingers of spring are celebrated with festivities everywhere, and it's easy to see why. Their intense beauty is magnified by the abundant presence of cherry trees throughout Japan. Every city we visited had some sort of tree-lighting ceremony and an impromptu street fair to capitalize on the occasion. Young recruits at big businesses are sent out early in the morning to reserve the best plot of land under the blossoms for a corporate meal later. Families pose for their yearly picture, "in the pink".
t seems that cherry blossoms are not only celebrated because they are beautiful, but also because they are temporary. Their short life only enhances their worth in the eyes of the Japanese. The blossoms mark a passage of time, a point of endings and beginnings. In a similar way, Japanese children capture the cicada to listen to its song during its few days of life, while the brilliant autumn red of Japanese maples is the counterpart to spring's blossoms.
ur first pleasure on arrival was the gentle welcome of a cool spring shower. With our raingear and umbrella, we walked with cousin Tom back to his parents' Tokyo apartment. "The cherry blossoms are almost at their prime," he said. "Hopefully the weather will clear up and you'll be able to see them. They're really great around the palace." The weather didn't clear up the next day, but we didn't mind. We strolled around the Imperial palace enjoying the blossoms and the cool, quiet atmosphere. At one point it began showering, and Dave, buttoning up his raincoat said, "I feel like a duck back in the water." He had escaped the heat.
apanese people really make the most out of cherry blossom season. These fleeting harbingers of spring are celebrated with festivities everywhere, and it's easy to see why. Their intense beauty is magnified by the abundant presence of cherry trees throughout Japan. Every city we visited had some sort of tree-lighting ceremony and an impromptu street fair to capitalize on the occasion. Young recruits at big businesses are sent out early in the morning to reserve the best plot of land under the blossoms for a corporate meal later. Families pose for their yearly picture, "in the pink".
t seems that cherry blossoms are not only celebrated because they are beautiful, but also because they are temporary. Their short life only enhances their worth in the eyes of the Japanese. The blossoms mark a passage of time, a point of endings and beginnings. In a similar way, Japanese children capture the cicada to listen to its song during its few days of life, while the brilliant autumn red of Japanese maples is the counterpart to spring's blossoms.
