Night Cherry Blossoms all lit up for the cherry blossom viewing festival.

As I've said before, it's tough to really understand just how big of an event the cherry blossoms are in Japan until you visit and see it for yourself. You may think you know, from all the photos floating around the internets, but you have no idea.

They are everywhere, they are all everyone talks about, they provide the major events of the season.

They are even lit up at night so everyone can enjoy them after hours. Called yozakura (夜桜) when lit up at night, there is something special about walking in the chilly night air of spring and seeing the pink flowers everywhere.

It's just not spring without a night walk near the blossoms---a snack from one of the food stalls helps (I always get some taiyaki).

David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku.

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