Cherry Blossom or "Sakura" in Japanese, blossoms and dies in a week time. Predicting the timing of actual opening and taking pictures of blooming at its peak has always been a challenge for foreigners trying to capture them on film. Most foreigners will travel to Japan only to come in too early or too late, going home without getting any pictures of Sakura.

Sakura usually blooms on the first week of April so I planned my business trip exactly that. But because of the on set of the global warming, I got news from my friends in Japan that Sakura started to open as early as March 21 this year. I left Manila March 29 for Japan with a heavy heart knowing that I will again miss the chance of catching a glimpse of Sakura.

By luck, Tokyo has been very cold since March 23 and including the entire time I was in Tokyo. In fact, it was only 8 degrees in the day time and 5 degrees at night. I did not bring my winter overall because I expected spring weather. That sudden decrease in temperature delayed the opening of Sakura and they finally started to open during my last days in Tokyo.

So did they actually waited for me to come to Japan? Maybe so, but whatever the reason, I couldn't just stay in doors and missed the chance of taking these beautiful pictures of Sakura. My only free time during this business trip was on the day of my departure. So in order for me to catch my plane, I had to leave the hotel as early as 6AM in the morning and brave the cold 6 degrees Celcius temperature. Well, the effort was all worth it.

Thank you Sakura for waiting for me. Thank you God for giving me a chance to share these beautiful images to my family and friends.

These images were taken around Kudanshita and Ueno Park in Tokyo.