Spring

Spring is in the air here in Fukui. I'm amazed at how quickly and evenly the seasons change here in Japan. A lot has been said about how Japan has 4 distinct seasons, and as I've been here longer I tend to agree. I don't think this makes Japan crazy unique or anything like it has been presented to me, but it is a cool thing. Certainly in East Texas the weather isn't normal or predictable. It's just as likely to snow in April as it is to be sunny and 80 degrees on Christmas day.

This year I was shocked at how quickly the mountains around Takefu have changed from barren branches to covered in cherry blossoms to bright green leaves. It all happened so fast, and I feel like I barely had a chance to take it all in. I guess traveling to China over the peak cherry blossom season made that feeling more acute. Since I'm preparing to leave soon, I've been trying to get in the last cherry blossom viewing party, the last BBQ, last time to see a mountain covered in azaleas, and so on. I know the time I've got left will pass quicker than I want it to.