this and that + sakura walk (tamagawa & neighborhood)

I told you the sunsets have been pretty spectacular...this one was last Thursday and totally caught me by surprise because it had been raining for most of the day.

It has been so warm that other plants have started to bloom ahead of schedule.

Like these mini azaleas I spotted on the sidewalk.

Last Friday, I went to check out the sakura near Tamagawa (Tama River).

There were quite a number of people out and about, even though the pictures look like I was alone.

At least it wasn't as krazy as the more popular spots like Ueno Park and Meguro River.

I spotted a cute dog in the doorway of a barber...I also spotted a foot near the dog and figured the owner was sitting nearby, so I took the photo from a distance so that the dog would not bark at me.

In our neighborhood, there is a very tall cherry tree...I worry that the branches will take out the power lines...

Down the street from that tree is this one.

And a little further down is this pocket park with about 6 or 7 sakura trees.

Then in back of the Family Mart nearby is this tree.

I heard that this property used to be a temple/shrine.

Ever since we moved here, I swear I can hear someone reciting Buddhist chants at 5-ish in the mornings.

(UPDATE: they cut down this tree)

This other pocket park isn't nearby to our apartment, but I had stumbled upon it on my way back from the market and marked it to check out the cherry blossoms there.

This year, no one is allowed to sit on the ground to hanami (view cherry blossom), the weird part is you CAN sit on benches to view them...some places like Shinjuku Gyoen are only taking reservations for people to enter to view the cherry blossoms.

Last Saturday, Satoshi went to a guide seminar near Tokyo Tower.

He sent me this photo of Tokyo Tower all decorated with koi (carp)

Japan's numbers are rising due to the variants & Spring Break.

Vaccinations are still moving at snail's pace.

The main branch of government is M.I.A. leaving the local branches to deal with this pandemic.

I still try to stay close to home and stay off the trains as much as possible.

My fave market has been too crowded, so have been going to the others I discovered nearby.

Anyone else have mask-ne? (acne from wearing masks)...I do because the weather has been so warm lately.

Last year my freesia did not bloom.

I wondered if I should dig up the bulbs and plant new ones.

Then this year some freesia blooms!

I'm glad I didn't give up on them.

Happy Easter, hope you are keeping your spirits up and have a safe weekend.