It’s cherry blossom season. Here’s a poem called "Loveliest of Trees" by A. E. Housman (1859 – 1936).  The poem is about cherry blossoms, the quickness of life, and how now is the time to appreciate what’s around you. "Loveliest of Trees" LOVELIEST of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom...

Here are some photos of Washington DC thanks to Ray Lee.  It’s Cherry Blossom Season, so it’s a great time to visit D.C. The Washington Monument. The Jefferson Monument. Cherry Blossoms. Many thanks to Ray Lee for sharing these photos with us!  Check out the Official National Cherry Blossom Festival site for info about special events in...

When the Cherry Blossoms bloom in Japan it’s traditional to go to the park to view the blossoms and have a picnic.  Cherry Blossom viewing is called called Hanami. Ayako Egawa generously shared her photos of this years cherry blossom viewing.  Ayako wrote, "We walked under the flow of cherry blossoms in the park.  It...

In previous entries I talked about the importance of Cherry Blossoms in Japan. In 1912 the mayor of Tokyo gave a gift of 3000 cherry trees to the city of Washington D.C., thus spreading the love of cherry blossom viewing to North America. Nowadays, Washington D.C. hosts the National Cherry Blossom Festival. I’ve been...

In my previous entry, I talked about the importance of Hanami, Cherry Blossom Viewing, in the Springtime, in Japan. The cherry blossoms, called sakura in Japanese, bloom at a time when there are lots of new beginnings. Of course it’s the start of new life in the land. But in Japan, it’s also the...

When the cherry blossoms bloom in Japan, at the end of March and into April, it’s the sign that Spring is really here! Cherry Blossoms are pronounced as sakura in Japanese. In Japanese text, sakura is 桜or 櫻. Japanese people celebrate with hanami, viewing the cherry blossoms. They have picnics under the sakura...