An Evening Stroll amongst the Sakura

Hanami - the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers, most commonly used in association with those of the sakura.

Knowing that the sakura season was going to pass by quickly, I was itching to get out at least once more to experience the beauty of the blooms. This time, however, I wanted to experience it off base and with the locals. When you take the time to experience something 'the local way', I feel that the experience is vastly more rewarding.

There was a local cherry blossom festival occurring, and while we didn't make it out in time for the festival.. we still managed to enjoy an evening stroll and 'Hanami'. The weather was a bit chilly, but there were lots of locals still out and about who greeted us with smiles as they strolled by with their families. We had already experienced a daytime viewing, so we opted for an evening viewing which would allow us the added ambiance of the glowing lanterns swaying gently in the boughs of the blossoming trees. Even though the song birds had gone to nest for the night, the gentle stillness was relaxing and a most enjoyable experience.

 A perk of venturing out later in the day... we had the walkway to ourselves for quite a bit.

We found ourselves in an open park area down by the Tama River filled with flower gardens beginning to bloom, a trickling stream, and a fabulous view of a train coming across the bridge.

Our very first family photo under the sakura!

Now that warmer weather is here, we hope to get out more & enjoy the sights!

Stay tuned for more adventures!

A Sassenach amongst the Sakura

Springtime in Japan brings one of the most gorgeous events I have ever witnessed... the blooming of the cherry blossoms.. or Sakura, as they are called here. 

Sakura season can begin anywhere from the end of March to early May across Japan, depending on where you live. We are on the outskirts of the Tokyo area, so our predicted bloom week was the 1st weekend in April. However, some unseasonably warm weather caused the blooms to open about a week early. So my little & I grabbed the camera after school one day & took a walk around the base to admire the blooms in all their glory!

The first stop on our walk, were the trees right outside our apartment!

How lucky are we?!

The beauty of the sakura is far more amazing than my words could convey.. so I'll let the pictures do the talking!

These little fingers were itching to hold a delicate cherry blossom!

I adore this photo... it captures the delicate beauty of the blossom, but also my little boy who is forever getting his hands dirty on our nature walks.

We also ventured across the base to a housing area with a larger section of sakura lined streets.

Here we walked amongst the rays of sunshine, softly falling petals, and singing birds.

Sadly the beauty of Sakura season is very short lived. 

These glorious, but delicate, flowers only last two weeks at best.

We are so lucky to be able to look forward to experiencing this again during our time here.

Japan Eats: Starbucks Sakura

I've fallen off the blog'o'sphere for a bit.. but its mainly because I've been having such a fantastic time!! Japan is always offering me something to see or eat! I could happily live here forever and never grow tired of the food... or the people... or the atmosphere.. i just love it!

Anyways, moving on... It is no secret that I love Starbucks! On our journey here, we got to stop & visit the birthplace of Starbucks -- Pike's Place. I swear the special Pike's Place coffee i bought there is the most magical coffee ever!! Or maybe its the memories... either way, I'm a Starbucks kinda girl!

So I was super excited upon arriving in Japan to hear about the fun 'limited edition' flavors that come out! My first experience was the Orange Chocolate Mocha... superb!! However, what everyone really raves about is the yearly release of the Sakura line!! Every year, Starbucks joins the celebration of "Hanami", the cherry blossom viewing season, with a new latte/frapp recipe & an amazing line of mugs/tumblers/cards! They also decorate all the 'to-go' cups with sakura blossoms! such a fun touch!

Stock photo: Google

This years flavor was Carmelly Sakura Chocolate! YUMM!!

Both the latte & the frapp feature a drizzling of rich cherry and caramel sauce topped with shavings of subtly cherry-flavored white chocolate.

Doesn't that sound divine??

This had to be the sweetest coffee I had ever had. I like my coffee sweet, but this was so sweet your teeth hurt! The cherry caramel is ridiculously sweet & combined with the richness of the white chocolate, it caused us to wince at the sweetness. I tried both the latte & the frap, but this was not a repurchase for me. I'm sure I'll return next year to try the newest sakura coffee.

So now that I've raved about the coffee.. lets move on to cake!!

"Cake! Everybody loves cake!" ~Donkey

Sakura Chiffon Cake

I wish I had even the slightest clue how to create a cake this soft & decadent!

It was like eating a cloud. 

At first glance, I thought it would be like angel food cake, but it was softer! The subtle sakura notes, the fluffy whipped icing, the pickled cherry blossom on top.... heaven!

I have to rave about this pickled cherry blossom for a moment.

I'm sure it may not sound all that appetizing... I am willing to try anything once, but even I was a little hesitant to eat a flower. Even more so, one that had been pickled.

The verdict? -- some one please find me a jar of these!

Seriously... I could happily snack on these any day of the week. 

Lucky for me, my family didnt really care for the blossom, so our second trip for cake left me with the blossom all to myself!

I chose this beautiful pastel-hued coffee mug from the Sakura 2015 line.

There was a rather large selection of sakura themed mugs, tumblers, & cards, which all sell out within the first week, so I had to make my choice carefully. The line changes every year, so I am excited to see what my collection will look like at the end of our time here.

Have you tried any new Starbucks flavors lately? Fill me in on what's happening with Starbucks stateside!