Pictures from Japan: Season of the Sakura

Season of the Sakura 2000

It's April. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom, exploding with beautiful shades of pink and red and white like they do every year. Their fleeting existence will end soon enough, but for now the Season of the Sakura has come again to Japan. I turn to her, standing at my side, and speak. "The sakura were in bloom the day we first met. Do you remember?" She smiles at me. I know that she is happy. I look up at the sakura once more, and speak again...

"That's right. That was the beginning of it all..."

April is truly the Season of the Sakura in Japan, and Kezoji Park, Isesaki's largest and beat park, was exploding with beautiful sakura petals for the enjoyment of everyone. It's customary in Japan to have an outdoor party under the sakura trees, making food and drinking and enjoying the company of friends. So that's what the J-List team did! This is called hanami or "flower viewing."

The beautiful sakura trees...

We got a little un-conventional with our lunch: we made chicken fajitas and yakiniku (barbecued meat).

Yoko and Tomo, watching Jose try to avoid burning his hands

Hanami wouldn't be complete without beer

The sakura were at full bloom (in Japanese, mankai). After tomorrow, they'll start to blow away, and will all be gone within another week

Lovely Chiharu

Yoko was getting her car fixed, and the repair man let her use their shop's truck. The decoration on the truck were so interesting that I had to record it here...

A new ring for Kaori? Could there be big changes ahead for our favorite Japanese girl?

Son Kazuki, playing Go Go Five with his old man