Sakura means peace

In Higashi Ojima I sit in a camp chair beneath some cherry blossoms. In front of me the best playground we know of is absolutely overwhelmed. Everyone, it seems, is in the park. The children swarm the zip lines, roller slide, climbing structures. For years now we’ve been lucky to spend these few weeks in Japan, in Tokyo, wandering beneath cherry blossoms, sitting in parks, and surrendering to the temporary nature of beauty. We’ve found peace in odd moments, and in huge crowds. Being in Tokyo for the peak weekends of sakura, of hanami, is a gift born of cheap tickets and a repeated bet on the calendar. It’s a gift born of our new beliefs, that these are the good years. We are here because our friends are here, because we are focused on people, finding time with them wherever we are able. As I watch the playground the children from Australia enjoy the small roller slide while a hundred meters away 5’s climbs a ladder to the longest roller slide we’ve ever seen. In between and around…