Cherry blossom season is ending in Tokyo, with people enjoying one last opportunity to savor the fleeting beauty of the sakura in bloom. On April 10, falling petals created delicate, swirling patterns ...

This poem describes a rainy scene in cherry blossom season at Arashiyama, a scenic spot outside Kyoto whose name translates fittingly as “stormy mountain.” A raftsman is wearing a traditional straw ...

Buson’s haiku depicts the transformative power of a falling shower of cherry blossoms. (Poem by Buson, written around 1780–83.) This poem describes a rainy scene in cherry blossom season at Arashiyama ...