After nearly 20 years in big Tokyo I was feeling burned out in my not-so-successful "career" in the service industry, knocking on several ceilings....so after a chance discovery of cheap old farmhouses we set out towards the countryside - but still close enough for my wife to further pursue her working live, commuting by Shinkansen while I would take care of the house and kids and build my own little cafe at home...
Our first bump came when we realized that the bank wasn't willing to give a loan for an old rundown house on some worthless property in the "Hinterland". So, we changed plans and will be building a new house. We already bought the plot last year, with about 400 square meters size, and I have started the vegetable garden beforehand, next project will be the garden house.

19 May, 2011

Our Sakura

Last year in August we purchased our property, and as a kind of memorial to it, and because I was eager to plant something on "our" earth, we purchased a little Sakura - cherry tree. My wife, remembering a tree from her own family home, insisted to plant it a bit farther away from the house, because of the strong roots this tree can develop, which suited me as well as the house itself is not built yet, and thus the farther end has more flexibility to its layout.
Now, in the greater Tokyo area the cherry blossom is usually at the end of March to starting of April. But up here in Karuizawa everything takes a bit more time to awake from the cold winter.
This was 11th of April. No snow around anymore, it was actually rather low this year, the weeds are starting.

And the buds have appeared, but thats about it

On the 15th, some tiny green is looking out from under the shell, still fearing the cold nights

On the 27th, the green is slowly making progress, but no sight of blossoms yet. I was starting to get a bit nervous thinking that Japanese cherry usually blossoms before the green appears, but than remembered that this was a different kind of Sakura.

And right, after finally finishing the holiday week that left me no time to even dash out on the road to snap a picture of all the people suddenly making their way to Karuizawa (and our Restaurant&Cafe), much less to take the drive to our property, on the 10th of May I could finally view our Sakura blossoming, albeit in rather cloudy conditions

A fine tree she shall be, growing and blossoming and let us view her beauty

Another visit on the 17th showed her with even more blossoms and bigger leafs

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