Early Sakura in Miurakaigan

My friend from Japan invited me to go with her down south to Miurakaigan.  She and her family go see the early sakura every year together.  I loved being her adventure buddy and really appreciated her sharing this yearly tradition with me.  It had been raining for days and it felt like a tender mercy that the rain paused for one day and the temperatures rose to almost 70.  It was the warmest day we'd had up to that point and it immediately started raining and got cold again the next day.  It was so beautiful and I loved all the food tents right outside of the station.  I'm not a dried fruit fan usually but I bought some dried apples, oranges, and strawberries.  They were all so delicious.  Soft and chewy with just the right amount of sugar.  My friend bought a giant head of cabbage at a roadside market.  She wanted to buy a daikon (a white radish popular in Japan) but they were so big she didn't think she could carry it home.  We stopped at a chinese restaurant next to the train station and it was also delicious.  We got home before the kids got home from school.