Cherry Blossoms

No hanami for us this year, in fact we were asked to view the cherry blossoms and enjoy them through our windows.  Lucky for me I am allowed to go on a jog and just happen to jog past the a whole string of beautiful cherry blossom trees.  I snapped a few shots with my phone before jogging on.

One of my favorite things about Japan is how celebrated the seasons are.  It really brings a natural ebb and flow to life that I enjoy.  I in part dislike how short lived the cherry blossoms last.  Some people say two weeks but I feel like you really only get one week of full bloom.  The good thing about them only blossoming for a short time is that everyone makes a big deal out of it.  We really look forward to it and then when the trees blossom we make a special effort to view and enjoy them.  It is all anyone talks about and I get to see lots of flower pictures on my facebook feed.

My jogging path is really the best.  First I get to run along a nice flat boardwalk, where I don't have to worry about cars, stop lights, or attackers.  Then I get to run along the cherry blossom trees and up to an amazing view.  I'll have to get more pictures of the view and boardwalk sometime.

I've been pretty constantly jogging every morning for a while now and I consider myself a regular.  The boardwalk always has people on it, and it is fun to see and nod at the same people every day.  In fact if I leave my house ten minutes later I can tell because I will see everyone coming towards me at an earlier point in my jog.  I like to joke with Bob about how if I miss my jog I won't see my "friends."  The elderly people I jog by everyday are the closest thing to seeing friends I've got these days.