Hanami: Viewing the Cherry Blossoms at UW

I was so excited when I heard about the cherry blossoms at the University of Washington campus. I knew we had to make a trip over there to see them once they finally bloomed. Cherry blossoms only bloom for a very short period before they fall, about 2 weeks. So, there’s a small window to actually enjoy viewing them. Thanks to the buzz on social media, there were a lot of people there. And just about everyone had a camera or phone up taking pictures. There was also a race on campus the day we went, so that made it even more crowded. Crowds aside, we still loved getting to see the beautiful cherry blossoms in “The Quad”. And how cute is K’s little “I love weekends” dress?! I’m loving this spring weather!

Hanami is the the Japanese tradition of viewing the cherry blossom trees when they bloom in the spring. They even have parties under the trees, and eat and drink to celebrate. The cherry blossom tree symbolizes the arrival of spring, a time of renewal, and the fleeting nature of life because their life is so short. I can only imagine how beautiful it is in Japan during the blooming of the trees. Maybe we’ll make it over there one day to see it in person. But until then, we’ll stick with the trees around Washington.