Cherry Blossom Season

In case you didn't know it, it's cherry blossom season in Japan.

Cherry blossom viewing is so important to the Japanese that the topic takes precedence in the news around this time of year. The Japanese even have cherry blossom viewing "parties" called hanami, which means they go to some place where they can check out the flowers blooming, plop themselves down a tarp, bust out the food and drinks, and chill for a while. Sometimes, you even get busloads of people showing up to check out the cherry blossoms, similar to the busloads of leaf-peepers that hit the roads in the autumn in parts of the United States.

If you ask me, cherry blossoms are a bit overrated, at least from far away; I prefer plum blossoms. If you get up close to the cherry blossoms, however, you can see just how beautiful they really are.

I took this photograph on the school grounds, where there are plenty of cherry trees.

If you want to see the cherry blossoms around here you better hurry, because they'll only be around for about another week or so!