Sakura on a rainy day at Kintai Bridge

It happens every year. You spend weeks looking forward to spreading out under cherry trees laden with sakura blossoms, stunning in their beauty framed against clear blue skies. Then, when the buds begin to burst, the rain comes.

Although you may not get the hanami experience you were hoping for, Japan’s cherry blossoms can be quite gorgeous even in inclement weather. Plus, watching petals, which have only just left the bud, fall to the ground, certainly ups the appreciation of impermanence.

One of the places I recommend for enjoying the cherry blossoms on a typical spring (ie wet) day is Kintai-kyo Bridge and the surrounding Kikko Park in Iwakuni. Here are some pics I snapped on one such outing.