Cherry Blossoms

Cherry blossoms, which signal arrival of spring, can be described as the flower most loved by the people of Japan. As spring approaches, Cherry blossoms forecast are reported on TV and in newspaper. The blossoming of these trees advanching from the south to the north on the Japanese archipelago is called the 'Cherry blossoms front"
During the Cherry blossoms season, people spread blankets or vinyl sheets under the trees for a picnic with friens or family in aspring tradition called 'hanami". There are over 300 varieties ofCherry blossoms in Japan, with differing flower colors and number of petals.
The beauty of falling petals is also part of the charm. The pale pink petals fluttering in the wind like snow are called 'sakura fubuki", leaterally meaning Cherry blossoms snowfall. The fragileness of Cherry blossoms is often used as a metaphor for life or the passage of time in songs and poems.

Mount Fuji

Japan's tallest peak, Mount Fuji Japan (3,776 m altitude), is located right about in the middle of Japan, straddling Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures.
It's said that this active volcano repeatedly erupted and accumulated lava to arrive at this current shape approximately 10,000 years ago. This composite volcano is beautiful from every angle, and has had emotional significance to the Japanese throughout centuries. In the middle ages, it served as aplace for monks to undergo training, in the Edo period (1603-1867),it bustled as a mountain where the common people made pilgrimages. Today, Mount Fuji Japan is a popular mountain visited by approxymately 300,000 climbers yearly.
Shapes with a broad base like mount Fuji Japan are called "suehirogari" literally meaning, "broadened at the edges." This is considered an auspicious shape to indicate that good fortune will continue to the future. For this reason, mount Fuji Japan is an icon of prosperity.