I can almost say that I've never liked flowers. I can't think of a reason I should care for something that never lasts. I'm not interested in photographing them either. But, there's a big exception - the cherry blossoms (sakura). Only for cherry blossoms I would make one or two special trips to capture them.

You may have viewed my other albums "Springtime in D.C.", "2008 Serenity at Newark", "Japan, rain or shine", and "Vancouver & Whistler" etc. In the past few years I saw cherry blossoms also in Europe. This year when I went to Brooklyn Botanical Garden to photograph them, looking at the delicate flowers growing in clusters, I suddenly remembered what I saw last year on TV, after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, how the Japanese people still peacefully and patiently stood in line for the limited water and food supply, how they bowed and thanked the person who delivered these basic but precious things to them. After that horrible catastrophe, they were still sticking together, like sakura, helping each other out.... The incredible Japanese spirit has stunned and touched the whole world.

(Some of the photos in this album have been posted since 2008)

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