cherry blossoms in LA

The flowering trees have been blossoming over the past few weeks. Its beautiful. But something, I would never have taken the time to really notice if I had not spent my last year in Japan. Hanami season in Japan is truly a sight to behold. The winter has ended, and suddenly there are pink and white trees popping up all over the hillsides. People string up lanterns in the trees and host picnics late into the night: Drinking and musing over the beauty of nature.

I miss little things, here and there, about my time in Japan. Usually, I am struck by nostalgia at the most random of moments. Like when I find a beautiful flowering tree in the parking lot of the Japanese gardens...I wonder why the tree isn't actually inside the gardens...or why there aren't any flowering trees inside the gardens....Then I miss Sakura Chu-hi...something that you just can't get anywhere in America.