I was told the cherry blossoms in Japan represent life: beautiful but fleeting. They bloom only for about a week before the snow blossoms drift down. A friend and I visited the Sankeien Garden in Yokohama for their night viewing of the sakura. It was incredibly beautiful to see the blossoms lit up against the dark of night. We made a stop into one of the open restaurants and tried this doughy rice flour dessert. And then we laughed so hard I almost choked on the thing. After trying to cut it in half with chopsticks, I gave up and put the whole thing in my mouth. I wasn’t expecting the warm gooeyness and unable to chew it or swallow it whole, I couldn’t stop laughing at the unexpected texture and predicament I found myself in. Lets just say we had a few curious looks from the rest of the patrons. It was oddly delicious though.

The Sankeien Garden also has a lotus flower early morning viewing  in late July. The garden is fairly stroller friendly, with just a few steps and off road areas to maneuver. The cost was 500 yen for adults, 200 yen for elementary school children and there was a paid parking lot attached.

Here’s a few more around Tokyo of the cherry blossoms. The weeping cherry is my favorite I think. (There’s over 100 different varieties in Japan.) These were taken near the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

And lastly the sakura right outside our townhouses. What a treat waking up to them. One day they were full and gorgeous and the next they were gone.

Snowing sakura…

Next year I’ll try and partake in the tradition of hanami and picnic with the rest of Japan under the cherry blossoms.

• blossoms
• cherry blossom
• japan
• Night
• sakura
• Sankeien Garden
• spring
• tokyo
• travel
• viewing
• Yokohama