Sakura

Popcorn poppin ain't got nothin on this: Cherry trees in full bloom -- the blossoms here are called sakura -- and this week kagawa is full to bursting with them.

these are pictures I took at Ritsurin Park, the central park-ish type park in Takamatsu. The Japanese are out in droves to hang out, eat and enjoy the cherry blossom season -- I set up my oil paints, etc. and was about four brush strokes in before I was surrounded by Japanese people asking me if I am American, if I like Japan, what I'm doing here, and giving me food so forcefully that a bag of mixed nuts ended up covered in paint...I ended up abandoning my stuff and eating lunch with a group of 10+ happy accountants, who offered me more sushi/sashimi than I could possibly eat -- and boy, if I hadn't eaten it before yesterday, well, I've eaten it now... one word: jellyfish. Yeah. That's what I thought. This place is kickin.