Spring is here!!!

As spring arrives here in Korea, so do the cherry blossoms!!! The cherry blossom tree is one of my favorite things in Korea. They are beautiful! They line the streets everywhere and brighten up the areas around them, even at night they have a brightness to them. The cherry blossoms are mostly found in East Asia.

The cherry blossom tree is a well known symbol for Japan. The Japanese call the tree Sakura, the symbol being 桜. The Sakura is represented in things such as art, dishware, stationary, and linen. In Japan, the cherry blossom is seen as a metaphor for the short lasting life of nature. However, in China, the cherry blossom is a symbol of feminin dominance, sexuality and beauty.

I have been told the best time to see them is around the 20th, but I went ahead and took some pictures of them as they were just starting to blossom. I'll take some more at the festival I'm going to around the 20th.

Here are some shots:










And some night shots: