Just when it seemed spring was around the corner, cold days like a return to winter have continued. We have heard "In a normal year..." so often it has become a cliché, yet we still hesitate to use the phrase.
Among the sights around Takebashi and Palaceside Building, the Kawazu cherry trees planted at the Marubeni building—the first to delight our eyes each spring—would normally be nearing peak bloom by now, but this year they have only just begun to flower. Only about five pale pink petals have opened so far. Red buds are swelling, but it will still be some time before full bloom.
The late flowering of Kawazu cherry trees is reflected in their name: in Kawazu Town, Shizuoka Prefecture, where the "Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival" runs from February 5, the original tree had only reached about one-third bloom as of the 28th, with other areas at roughly one to three-tenths bloom. The festival, originally scheduled through March 10 because of the delay, has been extended to the 18th (Sat.). Organizers, struggling with the late spring, are even planning free sweet sake on the final day to draw visitors.
Yet if winter has been colder and longer than ever, perhaps spring will bring a burst of many flowers blooming at once, like "Spring in a Northern Land"—a prospect that fills us with anticipation.