I’m a simple person. That is, the promise of a photo opportunity is enough to make me happy, or at least willing to drag myself out of bed on my precious days off. Needless to say, I was dying to see the cherry blossoms all throughout my first week in Japan! Once we had finally finished most of the admin stuff a friend and I decided to check them out, and thank goodness we did. I think we managed to catch the cherry blossoms during mankai, or full bloom, so they were looking especially luscious.
While Ibaraki prefecture’s not exactly on most people’s radars, it does has some interesting places to check out if you know where to look. For one, Senbako (千波湖) is a lake that’s a popular hangout spot for families, and it’s especially gorgeous during sakura season. Every so often the wind would blow sakura petals everywhere, and it seriously felt like I’d stepped into a shoujo anime.
It seems we weren’t the only ones who decided to enjoy the sudden reprieve from cold weather. Couples on dates, families picnicking by the lake, and elderly residents taking a stroll… This was definitely the place to be on this particular Sunday.
Cause I know you’re all really here to see pictures of me and my double chin! Every other shot of me is either out of focus, or features a ridiculously huge grin on my face. I guess I was a bit too excited to be finally be seeing cherry blossoms in the flesh…
Some shots by Sakuragawa (桜川) also known as Sakura River. I would’ve loved to see the flowers by night as well, but sadly they’re probably way past their peak already! Nevertheless, I’m never gonna forget this experience. Seeing the cherry blossoms in Japan has always been bucket list material for me, but I can guarantee this won’t be the last time I see them.
