Isn’t it wonderful when you time an adventure just right? When you happen to put yourself in the path of a fleeting thing at just the moment it floats past you? So it is with me and the cherry blossoms.

It’s been such a warm winter and early spring that I thought they might peak before I could get here. But one glimpse of the trees on the walk between the Shibuya station and my hotel that first night, and I could see they were at their fluffy apex, in the ironic way of being laden with something lighter than air. Yet, it’s a fragile perfection. Last night strong winds denuded branches, as petal-snow whipped around me. A too-warm day can make the petals just let go altogether, my translator Fujiko told me today. As if the tree is impatient to get on with summer things.

So, forgive me if I show more than tell today. It’s hard to be inside when everyone keeps telling you how these blossom-filled days are numbered. But I hope these photos give you a sense of the dizzying, dreamy haze Tokyo is in right now, and maybe a pick-me-up if spring is slow in coming where you live. More soon!