Cherry Blossoms

I took these photos as I walked across campus the other day. The trees are beautiful, aren't they?

For Koreans, the cherry blossoms in this country are bittersweet. The sweet part is obvious; in addition to being so beautiful, they're one of the first delicate signs of spring. Since they were planted by the Japanese, though, they're also reminders of occupation by their neighbors to the east - an occupation recent enough that the resentment is still palpable. I remember my students in China making similar remarks about the cherry trees on Wuhan University's campus. Apparently they're spectacular in spring - but again, with the blossoms comes the memory of a one-time agressive neighbor.

Having spent a total of five days in Japan, compared to months in China and years (in total, almost four now!) here in Korea, my sympathies in this historical conflict obviously lie with the Koreans and the Chinese that I've come to know and love. I'm really not that deeply mired in Asian history though, so when it comes to cherry blossoms I can pretty much just enjoy them for what they are. Hope you'll enjoy these digital versions of them, too!