Hanami

Let me tell you a little about Japan. It is a fantastic country, and I'm sure it must be quite an experience to live in Tokyo, but Kyoto is something else. It hasn't been destroyed by any wars, but still all of the urban apparatus is very modern.

When I was flying over here, the pilot announced over the speaker that the cherry (桜) blossoms had started, and I heard a commotion throughout the plane. It feels even better than Christmas when you're seven years-old.

As it gets hotter, because of the end of the winter, the cherry trees start to blossom gradually from the southernmost islands and spreading to the north. Actually going to the riverside and sitting by eating and talking feels like a new beginning for the japanese (and I guess it catched on to me).

The trees turn completely pink:

 

People go on picnics with their friends, then with their families, then with guys from work... and they eat. There's even a saying that goes: 花より団子. It reads something like "hana yori, dango" and means, on a free translation: I like the flowers, but the dumplings are better.