May 5th, a jolly occasion for many reasons: D and I both have family members with this birthday; Cinco de Mayo; and Kodomo-no-hi, or Children’s Day in Japan.
These glamorous, rambunctious cherries are celebrating wildly. They’re called “Yaezakura” (八重桜）in Japanese– the name I found for them in English is “double cherry blossom.” You can see why. But just double? Octuple is more like it, as suggested by the Japanese name which literally means “eight-fold cherry.” (Um, have you ever used the word octuple before? I definitely had to google that one… Nine is noncuple!) The explosive presence of vibrant pink in this early summer weather is a refreshing and exciting contrast to the more delicate, subtle nature of the classic sakura seen in early spring when the air was still brisk.
Summer is on its way folks. Brace for the San Josers! They will soon be seeking escape to our blue coast.
the pixel diaries 