Hanami 花見 in Tokyo

Once again, it's cherry-blossom time in Japan. Today I strolled through the campus near me and took pictures of thousands of people flower viewing (called Hanami 花見) and having their picnics under the outstretched arms of 100-year-old cherry trees. It was so beautiful! Unfortunately, I don't have a fancy camera that takes gorgeous shots, but these will still give you an idea of the beauty of this time of year. (If you click on the pictures, you can see a larger image. )

The weather was perfect—although unseasonably warm—at almost 70 degrees.





It was wonderful to see so many families out enjoying the day. Children were everywhere!



Petals swirled with each gust of light wind, and the ground started turning pink.





Here are a few pictures of the cherry trees right around the corner from where I work in Jiyugaoka. These were taken early in the morning, so not many people were around. Last year the city cleared out all the bicycle parking around the cherry trees and added lots of park benches. For Hanami, they hung pink lanterns so people could gather under the trees at night to view the flowers and have their parties.






It's such a shame that this highly anticipated event lasts only one week. Nevertheless, it's quite a sight to see!