Sakura in Saga!!

Hello readers far and wide!

As it seems like we've just jumped into summer in the past two weeks, it seems like an appropriate time to sum up the wonderful, yet tearfully-fast spring I've enjoyed in Japan. I wish sakura season could have lasted until the end of time. It was absolutely lovely, no how much sneezing I had to go through to see all those beautiful cherry petals.

Since explaining what sakura is like in real life is far beyond my writing capabilities, please take a browse through the petaled streets, schools, and shrines I visited during cherry blossom season. It's a must-see!!

About to embark on some sakura tasting!

The first full-blooming tree I set eye on; right after returning from Osaka.

Pretty in pink

 An interesting quote I heard quite often from my exchange student friends: "I thought all sakura were supposed to be pink. That's how they are in manga..."

While on my trip to Fukuoka to apply for my Chinese visa, I found a beautiful weeping cherry tree in a shrine.

A sole cherry tree among the hundreds of peaches and plums planted at Kodenji Temple in Saga.

On the university campus

Actually I lied. These are double plum blossoms.

A plum tree in full bloom, far before any cherry trees

Plum blooms

Pink cherry blooms

These are also plum blooms, "ume", not to be confused with "sakura."

Snacking on yummy blooms

Outside of Honjo Elementary School

The borders of the old moat of Saga Castle are completely surrounded by cherry trees

A pink afternoon

The trees in full bloom at Saga Castle

It rained while the sakura were in full bloom, resulting in most of the petals prematurely falling from the flowers. What a sad day that was.

New leaves

Jofuku Cycling Road in Saga. A must-see in Saga. Kilometers and kilometers lined with a tunnel of cherries.

A late-blooming weeping cherry in a temple in Saga City.

From the inside looking out

The sad end to sakura season