On our seven-year journey (2006-2013) we have hardly experienced anything more beautiful than the Hanami, the cherry blossoms in Japan, which we traveled to in 2013. The Hanami (the Japanese cherry blossom festival) will remain unforgettable for us. We will also remember how the Japanese looked forward to this festival, which was also talked about every day on TV and on the radio. The «front» where Hanami takes place was reported daily and many Japanese took vacations during this time so as not to miss anything.

But the Swiss cherry trees do justice to the Hanami in Japan. We saw this when we drove back to Kandersteg a few days ago after a round of golf in Thun. Down here, by the lake, it looked as beautiful as in the Japanese gardens. The cherry trees stood, one next to the other, in magnificent, white blossom! What a picture! Things only changed when we turned into the Kandertal and drove towards Kandersteg, which is at 1,200 meters. There isn’t much sign of spring up here – mountain spring hardly begins until early May. Then there are fewer cherry trees in bloom up here but for that the meadows where fat cows graze. (Now, on April 9th, 2024, as I write this report, it is starting to snow outside!)

PS: If you want to know more about Japan and Hanami, read here.