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Hopping from Sakura to Sakura

'Tis a lovely season with the more popular Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms coming into bloom. 

I was out with a nasty cold and lo and behold, the cherry blossoms were in bloom when I finally emerged from the house. While the cherry blossoms aren't in full bloom yet, it was great to go out on a warm spring weekend. I looked up popular cherry blossoms spots in the nearby area to see if I can find places I haven't been before. I did find that a temple boasted a 100-year old weeping cherry tree. I've never seen a weeping cherry tree so big with so many blossoms. That tree was in full bloom and it was a sight to behold. 

I went to another park that was at the top of a steep hill. The heartless park closed its parking lot during the cherry blossom season, but I managed to find a place to park my scooter. I didn't stay at the park long since the blossoms weren't in bloom that much. 

A cafe I wanted to visit was open and that cafe had a beautiful cherry tree in the front yard. This cafe is renovated from a 100-year old house. The menu is limited but the food is homemade, even the cakes they offered. I ordered the curry lunch set that comes with choice of coffee and dessert. The curry had just the right spiciness with a slightly sweet aftertaste. I ordered the ginger cake for dessert. The cake was fresh out of the oven and still slightly warm. The taste of ginger filled the mouth without the spicy bite, but the cake wasn't overly sweet. The cream cheese frosting matched well with the cake. I had the dark roast blend to go with the cake and the coffee was good. This cafe is another gem I discovered in the treasure trove of good cafes and restaurants in the area. 

I headed to another park, one that I visit every year. The park is on a lane lined with cherry trees and boasts a pink canopy when the blossom are in full bloom. The canopy looked pretty scrappy this year. It's not just because the blossoms weren't in full bloom, but a lot of the branches that protruded over the road got chopped off. That was disappointing. A few of the cherry trees in the park also got pruned, but it didn't affect the view all that much. The lower level of the park hosts a few weeping cherry trees, but different blossoms from the 100-year tree. These blossoms are multi-petaled and smaller than usual cherry blossoms. They are very cute. Now, to get to the lower level, I have to go down and back up a bunch of stairs. My legs were very unhappy with me later in the day. I also got to enjoy listening to a Japanese nightingale merrily singing away. I could see it hopping from branch to branch, but I couldn't get a clear shot of the bird. 

After getting my fill of the cherry blossoms from this park, I went to the last park on my itinerary. Much to my delight, the dark pink species of cherry blossoms lining the road to the park were in full bloom. The petals on some trees were starting to fall. The blossoms were bigger and a darker pink than the popular cherry blossoms. They were a lovely sight. The cherry blossoms in the actual park weren't quite bloomed in full yet. The sea of pink wasn't as lush as it would be when the blossoms are in full bloom. There was an event going on at the park and they were giving out cabbage soup made from locally sourced cabbage for free. The soup was pretty good. I hung out at the park a bit, laying in the grass under the cherry trees and soaking in the warmth of the sun. It felt pretty good. 

It was a good weekend. I went out and about and saw a lot of pretty blossoms instead of staying cooped up being a couch potato. 

100-year old weeping cherry tree 

Dark pink Yokosakura

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