A Japanese meal at Citrus

In the cherry blossom’s shade
there’s no such thing
as a stranger.
― Kobayashi Issa

It’s been about five years ago since I visited Japan. The last time I was there everyone was waiting for the cherry trees to start blossoming. Our Japanese hosts would furtively break away to discuss which tree in Tokyo had blossomed and which one was expected to any day.

One day towards the end of our visit our hosts were very excited; they had discovered that the trees in the park outside our hotel had blossomed. This was a chance for their guests to share in their national obsession. So on a cold, wet afternoon we politely trooped out into the park to view the blossoms, which, I admit, were quite beautiful.