Masks in Full Bloom

It's pretty well known that many Asians wear masks. It's my impression that they wear them if they've got a bit of a cold, so as not to share it with others, or if others around them have a bit of a cold. Certainly at this time of year a good number of them are wearing them due to pollen.

The other big thing going on in Japan right now is what is known as hanami, or flower viewing. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and there are festivals here and there, and hoards of people out to see the blossoms. 

On TV they said 250,000 people were at Ueno Park the other day to see them. I'll take their word for it since I'm too lazy to count them myself. Besides, though I like Ueno Park, I typically avoid the place when it has more than 249,999 visitors.

A few days ago I did take a walk through Tetsugakudo (Philosophy Tower) Park; the blossoms had already bloomed, but it was early enough in the day that there was not yet a crowd, and I will say it was pleasant indeed. But by the time I took my wife back there, seventeen minutes later, the crowd was building and the pleasantness quickly diminishing, at least for me. 

(Why, you might ask, does a guy who doesn't like crowds, or conformity, love Tokyo so much? The answer my friend, is, along with the pollen, blowin' in the wind at Philosophy Tower Park.)

Now, I don't mean to make light of the suffering of others - I myself have terrible hay fever in dry climates, though essentially no allergy trouble at all in Japan - but it strikes me as slightly humorous that the most pleasant thing going on may be related to one of the most unpleasant, so one has to wear a mask to go out to see the blossoms, as is this lovely lady.