Cherry Blossoms in Hirosaki: The Official Introduction

Alright, so the reason for that long-winded name is that this is going to be a multi-post topic, so bear with me. The next few posts are going to be photo-dumps (since I took so many pictures I literally cannot put them all up any other way), so I'm going to take the opportunity to provide some back story for the coming deluge of photos now. So, without further ado, let the long-awaited for cherry blossom post commence! *drum roll*


In late April, I went with a whole bunch of people (including Laura and her brother, pictured above) over to Hirosaki, a city on the other side of the ken (a ken is like a state, easiest way to think of it), to go look at cherry blossoms. Why go that far away just to look at blooming trees? Because Hirosaki Castle, located in Hirosaki city, is hundreds and hundreds of years old, and has hundreds and hundreds of cherry trees planted around it, and hundreds and hundreds and HUNDREDS of people from all over Japan go there every year just to partake in it. Thousands of people really. It's a HUGE festival, I don't think I've ever seen so many people in one place before ever. It was exceptionally beautiful, and I think I understand now why the Japanese love cherry blossoms so much. They certainly are pretty enough on their own to warrant admiration, but throw in the fact that after a long, cold, white winter, pretty bits of pink start blossoming everywhere.... Well, let's just say that I really appreciate spring now. It was worth the two hour drive each way, and so much more. And now, I hope these pictures will convey some of the beauty I witnessed to you. The next few posts will literally just be tons of pictures, no words. Maybe it will help you pretend you were there with me. :) Enjoy!