Blossoms

Without argument, one of the most well-known pieces of Japan is the beautiful cherry blossoms that cover the country come spring. They may bloom in other countries too, but cherry blossoms will always remind me of our time in Japan.

It's bittersweet to see them blooming now. For someone who's never been into trees or flowers, these little suckers have come to mean a lot to me. After the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011, the beginning of spring and the new life these blossoms signified hit me hard. The cyclical nature of well, nature, and the way the Japanese dug right into rebuilding and restarting got wrapped up in the blooming and falling of these little blossoms.

Because they bloom once, and for so quick a time, the blossoms can't help but be associated with the passing of time. They flourish for a week in the end of April or early May, then are overtaken by sprouting green leaves. Since our time has been limited in this country, that passage of time resonated a lot with me.

This is my last year in Japan. It's likely we'll never come back to Misawa or Japan at all. Leaving Lemoore didn't hold this bittersweet transition for me. I didn't ever feel like Lemoore was home. Misawa may be far from friends and family, but we still fell in love with the country, the culture, and everything about Japan. We missed our true home, but made a happy home here.

Seeing the blossoms bloom and knowing my time is ticking just makes me think back to all our experiences in Japan, which is what got me started blogging one yesterday.

Here are my older posts with cherry blossoms - just because they are so damn beautiful.
2011 - With a Cherry on Top
I don't have any pictures from 2012, dang!
2013 - Walk Around Town
2013 - Hirosaki Castle Cherry Blossom Festival

And this one is my favorite picture of the bunch.