Shukugawa and...Homework

Once again, this morning was devoted to homework, preparation, and my master syllabus. However, after lunch, some friends and I went to one of the few famous spots here in Nishinomiya: Shukugawa. It is a park with a nice river in it that is famous for (you guessed it) cherry blossom viewing!

There must have been more cherry blossom trees here than that river I saw in Nara. It was gorgeous, walking through them. It was like a forest of bright, pink clouds, low to the ground. Occasionally, a strong gust of wind would send petals flying everywhere - absolutely gorgeous. Like a fairy-world complete with an elusive white egret and the occasional corgi.




I was honestly worried about cherry blossom viewing in Japan, especially since they bloomed late this year and are being accompanied with a week-long forecast of rain. Yet, these past few days have been full of sakura everywhere - every now and then there is a lone tree like something out of a painting or ukiyo-e carving. Sometimes, there's a random street with a section lined with cherry blossom trees. But, of course, there are places such as those I was able to visit (that river in Nara, Shukugawa park, and Osaka Castle) which are especially beautiful for cherry blossom viewing.




Today was definitely a cherry blossom viewing (or hanami) day. There were beautiful everywhere; walking, enjoying the view, photographing, or sitting on tarps and blankets with loved ones and fun foods. There also seemed to be some drinking but not as much as I was led to expect.

Thanks to my host mom, we also had fun Japanese snacks. Some macha/chocolate cookies and Japanese sweets that are just candied legumes (peas, black beans, and possibly lima). They were quite tasty (if you like beans).



 
Not a lot of my horizontal pictures turned out great. I think the sheer amount of petals in the trees threw it off. But it was amazing the sheer amount of cherry blossom trees and flowers everywhere.

And then, tonight, after a dinner of kuroke (potatoes with minced meet and seasoning/sauce fried - like giant, crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside, flavorful tator-tots) my host family asked me to see my cherry blossoms pictures from the past few days! I was so happy that they were interested and they seemed to like them. It was a nice bonding moment.

Well, tomorrow kicks off my first full week of classes. We'll see where it take me!

P.S. This last photograph was taken on my way home at a small, side-park. I thought the angle was pretty neat and magical (yet also so logical).