Apr 032013
 

Good afternoon again from the Itoigawa Global Geopark! The weather has taken a bad turn and it’s become a bit chilly and rainy today. Nevertheless, I intend to keep you up-to-date on the sakura, or cherry blossoms!

Clouds, Sakura, and TemplesDespite the inclement weather, more and more of the blossoms are starting to bloom. While not a welcome sight, the grey storm clouds do provide a nice contrast with vibrant greens and pinks of the flowers. In the background is the entrance to Hodenji Temple, a Buddhist temple across the street from City Hall.

Rain is, without a doubt, essential for cherry trees to grow and blossom, but it can be destructive when it happens at an inopportune time:

Dropped Petals

These petals and blossoms were stripped from the early-blooming trees in front of City Hall. Wind and rain can have a terrible effect on flowering trees such as these sakura.

For lunch today I was downtown, in front of Itoigawa Station, where I noticed this:

New Itoigawa StationThe scaffolding around the new Itoigawa Station has begun to come down. In front is that is left of the old Itoigawa Station, which is currently acting as a temporary station while construction continues. The new Itoigawa Station will be ready in time for the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen High Speed Railway, which will connect Itoigawa directly to Tokyo by bullet train in 2014. I’m not sure which I’m looking forward to more, seeing cherry blossoms or seeing the fully completed Itoigawa Station!

Keep checking this blog for more updates on Itoigawa’s sakura and the new train station!

–Ishikoro

 

 


  2 Responses to “Cherries, Rain, and Itoigawa Station Progress”

  1. Bullet to Tokyo?!! That may be more exciting than cherry blossoms.

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