Spring Break Pt I

A season for all things

I forgot what day it was yesterday. I went outside without a jacket on. I’m about to embark on a three day trip to Okutama to hike the Nippara Limestone Caves and Mt. Kawanori. The atmosphere is no longer 春が来る (haru ga kuru - “spring will come”), but 春が来た (haru ga kita - “spring has come”).

There is, however, one exception to the new season: the distinct lack of cherry blossoms in bloom.

Not so long ago, the cherry blossoms would bloom in early April, and were associated with positive change and renewal to coincide with the start of new fiscal years and school admissions. As climate change shifted the seasons, the sakura started blooming earlier, with an average bloom date of March 24, just around graduation season. Now in 2024, Spring was welcomed with several cold and rainy days, and out of Ueno Park’s 1200 sakura trees, I found only three in bloom.

All that to say, my planned hanami picnic turned into a stroll around Ueno and Asakusa, with a plan to return next week. Even Ueno Park’s annual Sakura Festival was extended an extra week due to the lack of bloom. I’m excited to see what the park will look like filled with pink blossoms. As with all good things, a little patience is a small price to pay.

Many of the sakura had only buds; the few that were blooming were expectedly popular. A man caring for monkeys allowed visitors to touch and interact with them. A sakura blooms at night outside of Sensoji Temple.

Here’s a fun language tidbit in lieu of more satisfying pictures: in English, we use the word “plant” to describe a hired audience member or seat filler, and in Japanese they use the word sakura to mean the same thing.

My spring break so far has been a healthy mix of time spent out in parks, new parts of town, and, of course, arcades, and time spend resting, cleaning, and watching movies. Previous to this week, I had only watched four movies since coming to Japan, where I would regularly meet that number halfway through the month. This week I doubled that number, continuing my deep dive into the films of my favorite performer, Jackie Chan. I’ve worked my way through to 1989’s Police Story 2, which wasn’t quite as captivating as the masterful original entry, but still showcases amazing stunt work. For those interested in hearing my thoughts on these and other movies, I log and write about every single one I watch on my Letterboxd account.

Has spring arrived where you are yet?

愛を持って、

With Love,

gb

These letters are inspired by the Earwyrms playlist and newsletter. Read it here.