I think the cherry blossoms are going to bloom this next week. Here's a picture of blooms from a few years ago. The cherry blossoms around my school are really beautiful. I think we have about 10 trees. Most are big and the blooms are light pink, but a couple are smaller and pinker. I hope to go blossom viewing this year. If they bloom this weekend, maybe I'll go with a couple of friends. It's hard to plan a party to go look when you're not exactly sure when they'll bloom. Tokyo and Osaka and most of the southern part of Japan are already in full bloom. I don't think I ever really thought about which flowers were blooming and when before I came to Japan. It's not something most people consider very often. I've heard about people going for cherry blossom viewing in DC since they have Japanese cherry trees, but I don't know if I ever even saw a cherry blossom before I came to Japan. I have to say that I really enjoy going out for a cherry blossom viewing picnic. I'm not so big on the barbecues though. They just end up making the air smoky, everyone is so noisy and no one looks at the flowers. I'm a big fan of barbecues in the summer though. It's a good excuse to go outside with friends. For some reason, I have accumulated a lot of 'inside' friends. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I wilt a little if I can't go outside. And the area that I live in is so beautiful that it's a shame not to go out and enjoy it, especially in the nice spring and summer weather.