Sakura Memories

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Sakura Memories ~ Previously Unreleased

Date submitted to "My Paper": 11th June 2007
Date published: Thursday, 12th July 2007

In this final instalment to "My Paper", I touched on my sakura experiences and some observations pertaining to the good habits of fellow Japanese. It took a month before this submission went "public" this morning and I am happy to share my experiences with you. What appears is the original submission that went through some editing before seeing the light of the day.


"An hour by train from busy Tokyo brought us to the charming, peaceful town of Odawara. Famed for its famous Castle, this place is extremely lovely every spring when the sakuras within the castle grounds are in full bloom. And for the next 2 weeks, fellow Japanese would gather their picnic mats under the sakura trees to admire the beauty from Mother Nature. We were impressed that despite a scarcity of waste bins within the grounds, no rubbish would be "conveniently" left behind after all the picnickers have left!

As a kid, I've only seen sakuras on TV and on postcards. To be able to see them happening right before my every eyes was a dream come true for me. And this was one of the highlights of our Spring 2007 beautiful Japan trip."

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