Throwback Thursday To Tokyo Cherry Blossoms

Spring is nearly in the air, and even though I now live in sunny San Diego, California where the weather almost always feels like spring time, I find myself reflecting this “throwback thursday” on spring time in Japan.  I was lucky enough to live in Japan just outside of Yokohama for two years and in that time got to enjoy the most special time of the year in Japan, which is the Sakura (cherry blossom) festivals.

Really beautiful Sakura tree. Really bad outfit.

In the central part of Japan  the Cherry Blossoms tend to bloom at the beginning of April.  If you happen to visit the southern most parts of Japan hoping to see them bloom, they can start as early as January.  Here, in Mitsuike Park between Yokohama and Tokyo has been listed as one of the top 100 places to view cherry blossoms in Japan.  In a country that is this obsessed with these trees making the top 100 list is a pretty big deal.  Still, even with its popularity you can find a little more space to breathe here compared to the more popular parks in Tokyo.

In Japan, this is what I mean by a little space to breathe.  Okay, space is at a premium still, but trust me when I tell you this park is nowhere near as crowded.

The views are amazing, and it is a custom in Japan known as Hanami to bring a picnic with you to the park and enjoy the day people watching underneath one of these beautiful Sakura trees.

It is a good idea to get to the park early, because the lawns will fill up quickly each day the sakura is blooming and you may end up picnicking in the dirt.

An absolute must however, is to enjoy the sakura with great friends…..

And great food (It helps to have a friend who is an amazing chef).

Cute little hotdog squids are optional!

I hope you enjoyed this weeks Throwback Thursday, and my SECOND post!!

Potato Chip Rock in San Diego

This week on “Try It With Trevor” I enjoyed a great hike up Mt. Woodson in Poway California.  This 7.5 mile round trip hike up a mountain is not something you would want to undertake if you are looking for a nice stroll in the wild.  If your idea of exercise is watching the Olympics with beer in hand, maybe this is one photo op to opt out of.  Now if you do the occasional trip to the gym like myself, then you can make it to the rock and back mostly in one piece, but certainly in pain.  Once you get to the top you have a great opportunity to join a great San Diego tradition and show your friends how you can defy gravity on this rock named Potato Chip Rock, if you edit the photo correctly.  I chose to give you a more realistic view of things.

It is pretty easy to get on the thing, but I have been told if you go on the weekends you can wait in line for up to an hour to take this photo.  We were lucky enough to go on a non-holiday monday where we could walk right up to it.  Even on a weekday there are quite a lot of people on this trail, so if you are looking for a secluded getaway for the day do not go here.  We passed someone every few minutes.  Most people were pleasant, but there is apparently a new trend where people hike with there little blue tooth boom boxes blaring.  I counted four occasions where people I passed were cranking up their club mix.  I am no hiking purest (is that a thing?), but I feel like going out for a hike is about enjoying nature and the silence of it all.  If I did want to listen to the newest Daft Punk hit, I would put headphones on, because I would still assume anybody passing by doesn’t want to hear it without those low bass frequencies required to enjoy dance music that tiny boom boxes still can’t provide.

An important note for this hike is there is no shade except this one wonderful tree half way up.  We stopped to enjoy it for a while along with everyone else on the trail.

When you are done, take the time to sit by the beautiful lake in the park.  At the very least you will be thankful for the shade.

That is all for this first real edition of Try it With Trevor.  If you ran into this post and have any complements (I love complements) or criticisms let me know.  This is my first blog and I’m excited to keep it up and learn how to improve it along the way.