Sakura!!!

The sakura (cherry blossoms) are in full force here in Fukushima. This weekend I was able to enjoy the fleeting beauty of the blossoms at many differnt places around town. Yesterday, while wondering through various neighborhoods I found a few parks, and walked down by the river where the trees were in full bloom. Later I met Alex, the new teacher who had just gotten here the day before, and we joined some students for a hanami (flower viewing) party at Hanamiyama, a very famous flower viewing mountain in the area. Actually, we didn't sit under a tree or anything, but there was kind of a bbq and lots of food and drinks set out on this guy's lawn. It was really cool to be in more of the countryside part of town, and I had a great time just sitting and talking with everyone there. By some strange coincidence (well, maybe not that strange in a small town), the two Amity (AEON for kids) teachers were also there so Alex and I got to know them a little better.

After eating and drinking we started our hike up the mountain. Hanamiyama is well know for having many different colors of blossoms, and sometimes it looked as if the hillsides were blanketed in flowers. The sight really was incredible, and many times I found myself unable to describe the beauty of it all. I'm sure the pictures will do a much better job of conveying how remarkable the blossoms really were.

Today I went back to Shinobuyama to show Alex the stone wall with all the carvings in it. I posted pictures of that too, so please enjoy!