Kawazu Cherry Blossoms at Their Peak

Just when it feels like April weather, the snow suddenly starts to fall.

It may be the alternating cold and warm spells of early spring, but this is a bit extreme.

While taking a walk around the neighborhood on a mild Sunday the other day, I found a Kawazu cherry tree that was almost in full bloom.

It is the lone Kawazu cherry tree in Edogawa Park, below Chinzanso.

It was many years ago now, but around this very time of year, I went all the way to Kawazu in Izu to see them.

The sight of cherry trees in full bloom lining the banks of the Kawazu River at that time was truly moving.

I have never heard of an area in Tokyo where Kawazu cherry trees grow in abundance, but I feel that one occasionally comes across one or two standing alone, as in Edogawa Park.

This year, the plum blossoms are also blooming late, so I was able to enjoy plum blossoms, daffodils, and Kawazu cherry blossoms all at once.

Before long, it will be time for the cherry blossoms.

As the seasons change, so do the flowers that bloom.

They say that Japan’s four seasons are changing due to global warming, but it seems we have not yet been reduced to two seasons, which was somewhat reassuring.

*The photos below show red and white plum blossoms at Higo-Hosokawa Garden, daffodils in the same garden, and, in the final three photos, cherry blossoms and a train photographed in Kawazu several years ago.