sakura, cherry blossom, bloomed to its peak over the past weekend in tokyo. the city is embraced with baby pink petals floating in the air so gently, landing onto your shoulders, onto grounds, filling up street surfaces with its sweet pink carpet. couples walk hand in hand, small children with their parents and grandparents, friends gather giggling while taking pictures with their mobile phones. walking along the path of sakura trees, it inevitably brings everyone a huge smile, and every single smile is filled with contentment. the spring is here.
the life of cherry blossom flowers is about a week or so. because of the frail nature of its short life, we take in its incredible beauty as much as possible while it is alive. whether it is true or not, this year’s sakura appears to be exceptionally pretty and compassionate, as if to cheer our troubled minds and help us keep our chins up. everyone is encouraged somehow, by the sakura’s universal beauty, its friendliness, which is a great excuse for an annual outdoor spree.
i am grateful, to be in japan, to see the sakura blossom in my own eyes, and to feel the sweet touch of soft, warm spring air.
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as i was writing this post, another big earthquake hit (at 5:17pm) – this time it was M7.1. and scale 6, at its seismic center in fukushima.
our apartment in tokyo shook quite a lot too (scale 4 according to the news report), with the sound of glasses rattling on the kitchen shelf. actually, it has been exactly a month since the powerful earthquake & tsunami hit our country on the 11th of march, 2011.
the earth is still shaking, as if it is trying to tell us something, as if it is exploding with rage for something we have done in the past.
i wonder if this is ever going to end.
SMALL TOKYO KITCHEN 