All of Japan is awash in blossoms. We thought when we arrived in early March that we would miss the “sakura” season. I was pleasantly surprised to see blossoms immediately. Our first days in Tokyo included multiple cherry blossom encounters in a cemetery, a park, and even on a pedestrian overpass along the highway.

As I stand on the overpass at eye level with the blossoms, I am immersed in the dainty pink petals. The sweet smell of the blossoms floods my senses. Birds flit among the branches providing song. I can’t stop smiling.

A lovely Japanese man stops and asks if I would like my photo taken with the trees. I said yes, and handed him my phone. I immediately wonder if handing a random stranger I met on a highway overpass my cellular life line is a good idea. It turns out that he loves to take photos and makes me feel like a cherry blossom model. It is a fun moment.

At least it is until he asks me where I am from. I smile and say “the USA”. His face falls. He hands me back my phone. Tersely he says, “good luck”, and he practically runs down the stairs to the street level.

I look at the beauty of the trees and wonder what has happened that the mere mention of the country that I love causes strangers to scurry away. I suddenly feel a profound sadness as I look at the beauty of the trees.

On other days, we walk through the gardens of a variety of imperial palaces. In each city, blossoms surround the castles, providing a dramatic backdrop for photos. There are endless Sakura festivals with cherry blossom icecream, snow cones, and drinks. It seems all of Japan is sitting under the trees, and eating fried treats. Every family participates in hanami (flower viewing parties).

It is a national celebration. Every tree has its admirers. The Sakura are immortalized in endless photos. I struggle to take a photo without getting people taking photos within my photo. Young people wear traditional kimono and pose proudly amidst the sakura.

On the mountains, elderly people walk the ancient paths and point to the splashes of pink amidst the pines. The temples are framed in delicate blossoms and prayers are offered in thanksgiving. There is a reverence that is palpable.

Nature is putting on a show in Japan and the nation pauses to notice. Sakura season is not just the blossoms. In Japan it is an ancient identity. It is centuries of anticipation and appreciation. Sakura blooms represent renewal, and hope. Their short week long existence reminds us to take time to appreciate beauty in the fragile fleeting nature of life.