I’ve just missed the cherry blossom festivals throughout the country, but Spring is in full bloom here. And it’s so tender. It reminds me of growing up in Wisconsin, really. The blooms are so delicate, so vulnerable, and yet they come out fearlessly.

All the plants seem to try hard here to grow. Branches and trunks are a little slimmer, leaves a little thinner. Perhaps it’s the mountain soil. 

I sat at the sea wall today overlooking the port in Yokosuka. A container ship, a smattering of cranes, a Navy ship out doing circles – it’s a bustling sight. I expected it to be noisy as the port in Norfolk, VA was noisy.

It isn’t.

I swear it’s some kind of magic, but sitting on the sea wall I literally didn’t even hear the sea. Leaves rustled in trees behind me. Birds with unfamiliar chirps conversed above me. And that was it. It was wonderful.

PS Jetlag is no joke.