The Sakura lasted a week or so, until this past Saturday when God brought strong winds and the flowers started to blow off the trees creating, what looked like- falling white snow. I woke up Saturday morning and walked over to Teganuma to spend some time journaling...and right when I turned the corner to look down the street I stopped in my tracks and told myself "go get your camera." I ran back to my apartment, grabbed Joel, and headed straight for the clouds of pink ahead.
More often than not, I can't believe I live here.
I think I stood under this particular tree for a good 30 minutes. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. A line of the most beautiful trees all with falling petals...wowzah.
This man came and sat down at the perfect time, like he knew I wanted a photo like this haha. He looks pretty downcast, but actually he was just taking a break and relaxing.
This particular section of the park looked extra magical because it had a hill covered in sakura petals, along with full trees in the background!!
The man on the left was painting an incredible picture of the water in front. His posture, canvas, and outfit seemed like something out of the early 1900s! I loved it.
Sakura snow!!
I was siting on a bench eating a sandwich and journaling when a father and son rode their bikes in to the field area and started playing baseball. The dad would throw a pitch, the boy would hit it quite hard, and the dad would run after to retrieve it...and they repeated this for an hour or so. Then, they walked their bikes over to a full sakura tree, pulled out a blanket and their bentos...and enjoyed lunch together. Watching their sweet interaction put such a huge smile on my face and I thought to myself...ahhhh this is Japan.
It is really amazing when the sakura cover the ground like a carpet of pink! This lady on the right was the epitome of a cute Japanese mom.
Whenever I go to Teganuma, I love watching the old men fish! They remind me a lot of my grandfathers for some reason...their patience, calm, and enjoyment of a quiet and simple task as sitting by the water with a fishing pole.
I stayed out for the whole morning...people watching, journaling, and thanking the Lord for all the beauty and peace around me. Wow, what a magical season!