Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Spring 2012 - (Page 32)

FA L L I N G I N L O V E W I T H … TOKYO E 32 IN THE MAGICAL WEEKS WHEN CHERRY BLOSSOMS RAIN DOWN FROM THE TREES, CHRIS FUJIWARA GLIMPSES JAPAN’S ESSENTIAL SPIRIT Each spring, f lurries of cherr y blossoms — sakura — cover Tokyo, a parade f loat moored to the cit y by tree trunks, a late compensation for the snow that didn’t fall in winter. Their pink superstructure overhangs the hapha zard clusters of low boxes that form the metropolis. The f lowers are so abundant, their cheer fulness so over whelming, that to see them just for a few seconds is almost fatiguing. Under the sakura, lovers, friends and families stroll in couples or small groups, unfold plastic mats on the choicest available spots they can f ind, and sit and drink and talk. This is hanami (cherr y-blossom viewing), an activit y carried out ever y spring all over Japan. In Tokyo, the season generally star ts the last week of March, lasting about 10 days. Tokyo is so photogenic at sakura time that ever y turn of the head creates a new photo oppor tunit y. The ar t of composing cherr y blossoms has become a set of instinctive formulas: a horizontal flower group of three or four trees; a single tree, ver tical; an extreme W W W. R I T Z C A R LT O N . C O M http://WWW.RITZCARLTON.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Spring 2012

Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Spring 2012
Contents
Contributors
Editor’s Letter
President’s Letter
Falling in Love With ... Tokyo
Technology
Design
On the Boulevards
Shopping
Jewelry
Watches
Family Travel
Wellness
Golf
Philadelphia
Culinary
Let Us Stay With You
Heritage

Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Spring 2012