Kintaikyo Bridge A day I came for the cherry blossoms and got carried away with soft-serve

When I parked and looked up, I saw the wooden bridge across the river. Its arches rose, dipped, then rose again farther along. I’d seen its shape in photos, but with the bridge right in front of me, my eyes kept following the arches. The cherry blossoms were out, too. I’d only just stepped out of the car, and already I didn’t want to leave.

I meant to keep looking at the bridge, but before I knew it, I was looking up at the cherry branches. When the bridge came into view between the blossoms, the whole scene felt different from a moment ago. Watching the river from the bank, I told myself there was no need to hurry today. No one had asked me to rush, of course, but choosing to make a little detour still made me happy.

Then I had to decide what flavour of soft-serve to get. Maybe I’d try something unusual, but I liked the familiar flavours, too. Once I started weighing them up, I couldn’t decide. I was torn between trying something new while I was there and choosing a flavour I knew I’d love from the first bite.

In the end, I picked a familiar flavour and came back with white soft-serve in hand. One bite, and my face broke into a smile. What had I agonised over for so long? All I needed to do was choose something I liked and enjoy it. I’d made such a big deal out of it.

Beside the red car, I held up my soft-serve a little. The bridge and cherry blossoms were behind me, and the treat I’d chosen was in my hand. Any one of those would have made me happy, and somehow I got all three. I was so busy smiling at the soft-serve that I started to lose track of whether I’d come for the bridge or the snack.

Even after I’d finished it, I wanted to linger by the river a little longer. I followed the arches with my eyes, looked up at the blossoms once more, and only then felt ready to get back in the car. On the way home, I kept thinking about the shape of the bridge and how delicious that first bite was. Both had become memories I couldn’t imagine the day without.