"If in this world there were no cherry blossoms,
our hearts in springtime
would know no peace."

This poem was written by the Japanese poet Ariwara no Narihira (825-880). He knew whereof he spoke.

We could not have timed our Tokyo visit any better. The cherry blossoms are just incredible. Words and pictures cannot adequately describe their beauty. We started today at Ueno Park, where we were showered with cherry blossoms every time the breeze blew.

There had to have been a million people there enjoying the blossoms. And Ueno Park isn't even one of the more popular spots. They actually stake out picnic and camping spots for days on end, and the party lasts well into each night. The park is the home of several museums, temples, shrines, and pagodas, but today is was just a sea of people. You didn't want to go against the current if you knew what was good for you -- stay to the left, please.

All of today's pictures are from Ueno Park, but we also visited the Ameyoko Arcade, a nearby shopping alley; Electric Town, another shopping area, devoted entirely to electronics; and the Tokyo Municipal Government Towers, with their spectacular 45th floor views of the area. Tonight, we plan to take on the Roppongi nightclub district.

Sandy and I are doing pretty well navigating the Tokyo subway system, even though all the signs use Japanese characters.

We learned two important lessons today. First, Bryan learned that Coke has a stranglehold on the cola market in this city. But we did manage to find the only vending machine that vends Pepsi, so things are good. Sandy learned the difference between a Japanese toilet and a Western toilet. She says a Japanese toilet, which requires deep knee bends to use it, will keep you young. (And neither of us have figured out all the controls on our high tech hotel toilet.)

Tomorrow, we'll finish here in Tokyo, then it's on to South Korea, on our way to China.