For a little over two weeks the whole country comes out to enjoy the fleeting beauty of the cherry blossoms. I wonder if there is another place in the world that places so much importance on beauty and presentation. I personally think this carries over into the rest of Japanese life. From they way they package the simplest goods, to the attention given to public spaces and even to how much importance is put on clothing and dress.
One of the most impressive things we saw was Himeji-jo. Amazingly not a reconstruction - it's an original structure that has been recently refurbished. The last time we saw it, before the refurbishment it was a little rough around the edges. However since then, they took it apart tile by tile like a giant jigsaw puzzle and fixed everything.
It's stunning in its new coat of paint and plaster.
With the blossoms in full bloom we saw so many people just taking a moment to reflect. Sitting under the blossoms or just staring at them a while. I think we all could use to do a little more of this.