Not long after we moved to Japan, I came to appreciate the public obsession with flowers. Across the city, there are carefully tended stands of trees along many boulevards and rivers, as well as lovingly cultivated gardens. And while Tokyo is one of the most densely packed cities in the world, flowers are abundant here in everyday places. During long waits between games at my son’s soccer tournaments, I would find myself exploring the sidelines, crouching down for a close-up of a bright petunia or a clump of clover dotted with spiky lavender blossoms. Along the trail where my daughter ran cross-country meets, I would look up to admire the sun-dappled trees.

Source: New York Times February 20, 2021 09:56 UTC