Good day, fine readers.

I am finally back from my travels (since of April 3rd) and have a lot to share with you. The wonders I saw, what I discovered etc. It is a daunting task and so you will have to be patient with me while I write down the highlights.

Not to leave you empty handed I thought I would write about one of the wonders of Japan, the Sakura trees! I came back just in time to see them blossom, I was getting worried that I would miss them as they blossom sometime in March/April, only to wither a few weeks later.

There is no easy way for me to accurately describe how the Sakura have transformed Kyoto. The city was beautiful before but now, taking a stroll down Kamogawa river feels like being in a dreamlike state, walking in the palace of the gods. Sounds overly dramatic but this is truly the feeling I get, I described them yesterday like the clouds had split up into small pieces and sat down on the branches.


Walking with Hanne the other day down Philosopher's walk (crowded with people enjoying the flowers) I made up a story of how when the trees were all picking colors to wear they all wanted to look their best so they competed at picking more vibrant, beautiful colors. When they found that the Sakura had picked plain white with only a tiny red dot in the middle of the flower they mocked it for its ridiculous choice. How the people would laugh and scorn the Sakura trees come spring when they would don their simple white dress. They would do nothing for the landscape with their drab foliage, scoffed the other trees, having chosen radiant red, vibrant green, brilliant yellow and so on.

The poor Sakura trees were so ashamed with their choice after all this scorning and laughing that they, in their humility, decided to only bloom for two weeks every year, to let their petals scatter like white tears before they would even see summer.
Today they are the most beloved of trees, transforming their surroundings into a state of white paradise, having people come over from all over the world to witness their blossoming.

Happy spring!