Hanami is the long-held Japanese tradition of celebrating the arrival of Cherry Blossoms and with it, spring, while appreciating the temporal, transient nature of flowers.  This week, I was blessed to be in Japan for the fleeting 2018 season.

Ueno Park in Tokyo was all set for Hanami  even early in the morning, with the path marked with lanterns and areas designated for overnighters or day campers.

Viewers of different ages, genders, sizes, and species came!

The cherry blossoms also charmed us along our path:

Today, on our last day in Tokyo, it was the seventh day of our trip and here is what we found on the ground:

The cherry blossom petals were blown by the wind like a confetti of good tidings from the sky to the ground. How quickly the Hanami season is coming to an end but with it comes a lasting reminder as the bible says:

1 Pet 1:24 For,

“All people are like grass,
    and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25a     but the word of the Lord endures forever.”