carolinainjapan

[carolinainjapan]

Spring and cherry blossoms. This is a wonderful time of the year. Not only the streets and trees look beautiful, but the people are in great mood. They go out and enjoy the sun and the parks and they get more friendly and talkative over all. It is a great time to spend with family and friends. Japanese people call it Hanami, it means watcing flowers. It is the realization that life is short so we have to make the most out of the best moments of it. Cherry blossoms flourish and after one week or two they fall off the tree, and it is over. It is a great metaphor on how after the rough time of the winter, something beautiful can show up and you have to embrace it, enjoy it and let go. It is ephemeral, but you have to enjoy it with your loved ones.

[carolinainjapan]

My First Snow

I had the chance to see snow for the very first time in my life while I was in Kyoto. I was biking to school and I was amazed by the snowflakes falling on my way. I had one class early in the morning, and I could see from the window that it was getting heavier outside. I could not stop smiling. I might have seemed like a weirdo, most of my classmates are used to snow. As soon as my class finished, I had another one in a couple of hours but I decided to skip it. I had to go to Kyoto and see how it looked under the snow. I went back home, I took my camera with me, but I was so impressed I didn't take as many pictures as I always do. I was just fooling around in the snow. I know I was being ridiculous, just like a child. But I was so excited, I couldn’t help it! I then went to my favourite shrine, Ryozen Kanon and I stopped to have an okashi (Japanese treat) and some tea. I had an amazing day.