The cherry blossoms are in full bloom, waiting patiently to be admired. The rows at Burrard Station wave at the passengers going into and coming out of the station, hoping to be noticed. Some do, glancing distractedly; others realise the gesture and take the time to pause, sometimes stop in their tracks to admire the canopy of soft pink whiteness. Largely, though, people breeze by in their own little worlds, seeing and admiring nothing about the moment.
I don't fault them for this slight; I just can't comprehend it.
The Japanese essentially worship sakura - cherry blossoms - and there is much fanfare and celebration when the blossoms start to open. There is a sakura watch on the nightly news, often the top story, complete with maps of blossoms spreading across the country to show where the blossoms have already opened. People plan parties with friends and co-workers to sit under the trees and get completely drunk. In larger cities, someone from the office is assigned the task of choosing the best spot in the park and guarding it all day with a tarp so after work co-workers have a place to sit. There's something magical about looking up and seeing nothing but petals, enveloped by the softness.
There are 37,000 cherry blossom trees around Vancouver. A business man has pledged another 10,000 if other people will start buying trees for around the city, a beautification plan. I have a map of some of the larger collections of cherry trees. My plan was to get out to some different ones before the blossoms start to fall. I'm starting to worry that I won't get out to them. So I have to take advantage of the ones I see regularly, documenting them in photos. This is the plan. But the weather has to be just so.
Today the weather is meh.
Why does my head hurt so?
Currently listening :
Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant
By Belle & Sebastian
Release date: 06 June, 2000
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