The coming of the cherry blossoms (sakura) is one of the happiest events in Japan. First and foremost it heralds the coming of spring, which is a delight since winters in Japan are bone-chilling cold. They also have a deeper cultural significance since they fall to the ground and disappear in only a couple of weeks (and even sooner if the frequent rains wash them all off the trees), which echoes an ancient cultural belief in the short, transitory nature of youth and life itself. These photos show the flowers and how Japanese celebrate -- the Hanami, or flower viewing. What this means of course is another bout of wild drinking parties under the trees, and karaoke going until the wee hours of the morning. Every city park with lots of sakura trees will be jammed with people, and finding a spot to even sit down may be impossible. The last photo as you can see is another example of Japanese "living in mystic harmony with nature" (be sure to pass this page's URL to all your goofy friends who view Japan with sakura-colored glasses). The aftermath of all this is more than just a pretty carpet of sakura petals on the ground. Nevertheless, the sakura are truly a delight to behold, it means the end (or nearly the end, as mother-nature sometimes jumps the gun) to those horrendously freezing winter winds, and you haven't seen Japan until you've seen the beginning of spring.