Even people who know next-to-nothing about Japan probably know about the cherry blossoms. These fragile pink flowers are more than just part of the landscape, they're part of the culture.

Fifty weeks of the year, the cherry trees are commonplace and unremarkable. But once the spring comes, their gnarled black branches bloom into a billion-petal tapestry. The Japanese, exhausted by the gloomy winter and overtime (the Japanese fiscal year ends in March), head for the parks. There, for two or three glorious weekends, a symphony of pale pink blossoms hangs delicately overhead. The visual spectacle is matched only by the outpouring of good vibes—sakura season is, in essence, a national picnic. My own culture has no equivalent of this. We are the poorer for it, I'm afraid.

Kimi Center's annual hanami party for their staff and customers fell on a workday for me, but I managed to rework my Sunday schedule and headed off to the designated park. Unfortunately... Well, let's just say it was a really big park. A really big, really crowded park. I had no choice but to wander around snapping photos until I found them. Mercifully, three hours, 93 photos and a sunburn later, I did. And all was well.

Usually I write a little narrative for my pictures, but this time around, I'll let you make up your own. Enjoy the hanami season! It'll be over before you know it.