I've been running around Japan for work, but I took some time to catch the sakura trees blooming too. Have a look.
Last weekend I was in a city called Okayama doing a gem and mineral show, next weekend Osaka. Okayama is a strange city, from the looks an industrial city located in between Osaka and Hiroshima. There isn't much to see there other than their cool castle. However, as a restaurant owner told me, It has much of what the big tourist cities have minus the tourist crowds. Then Okayama made sense. Just like most other Japanese cities they also have a lot of sakura trees, minus the crowds.
Sakura along the Asahi river in Okayama.
Like Tokyo, Okayama has a small river running right downtown. And like the Meguro river in Tokyo, sakura trees line the banks.
Like an alarm clock in spring, the sakura blooms wake the soul from difficult winters.
Even next to our convention hall in the industrial park sakura trees dot the landscape.
Heading back up to Tokyo, the blooms came about 1 1/2 weeks later than predicted this year. A cold front swept in the week they were supposed to bloom and delayed everything. When the bloom did finally arrive, so did the rain. Just like last year it ruined the peak day in Tokyo, stripping the trees of their full majesty.
Starting the walk from Shimokitazawa to Nakameguro.
If you ever come to Tokyo during the spring bloom I'd recommend this walk where the Meguro river is just a small stream lined with sakura trees and houses.
It's just as picturesque, if not more so, than Nakameguro with far less crowds.
After walking just under 3km you reach the Meguro river junction where the stream becomes a full blown river due to another tributary.
With the rain there were pretty strong winds which stripped the tree along the river of at least half of their blossoms.
Even so, we still enjoyed the views.
Heading over to Shibuya, it seems a park was built for the coming AI gods in hope they spare us their wrath.
These digital looking sakura trees are part of a huge, new development called Sakura Stage on the south side of the station. I used to walk these streets 20 years ago to get to one my club nights so it's nostalgic with a bittersweet, modern twist.
Oh well, at least when the rains and wind come to ruin the bloom next year I can always got to Sakura Stage and enjoy the artificial sakura trees and so can you!
Thanks for reading!
All pictures taken with my iPhone 12.