Spring in Tokyo

The days I've been dreaming of all winter have arrived: being able to ride without a jacket. At least mostly (today 22C tomorrow and the next are forecast to be 14C). Cherry blossoms, the famous and popular symbol of the start of Spring in Japan have bloomed and are now on their way to bring superb shade trees in preparation for the heat to come. But I love it that there is a popping of colour all over the place at this time of year. 

This is our largely untended garden. I love it that every year these tulips bloom despite the fact that we've done nothing to help or encourage them.

I also found these in the garden this morning. It's not a great photo, I had trouble with the light. But they're a lot tinier than the photo shows.

This is our garden from above. See the tree? That was bare a month ago. Hanging on a branch is a small birdhouse that our eldest made a few years ago. For the first time we've been seeing a bird flying in and out of it!

Yesterday we spent at a track and field meet. The weather was gorgeous (we were seeking shade for the first time in months). The venue was in a park, and like many places in Tokyo at this time of year, there are sakura trees sprinkled in among the other trees. They're at the end of their blooming and the green leaves are coming out, but it is usually pretty rare to get a blue sky background at this time of year, so I took a photo anyway.

This I don't know the name of, but I love. Most of the year it is a very ordinary bush. There are quite a number along the river-bike paths near here. But for a few weeks they break out and bloom in this random, wild fashion. A visual representation of how I feel at the end of winter and start of spring: like I just want to break out and be a bit wild and random.

I love these warm days in spring. The down-side of spring is that the temperatures seesaw, as I mentioned above. But we're headed upwards and that makes the Queenslander in me happy.