A Cherry Blossom Drive to Yaedake Cherry blossoms and a cold treat on a winter mountain

I came to Yaedake in late January to see the cherry blossoms. After parking, I walked over to a spot where I could see them and looked up into the branches. It was still winter, yet here were all these blossoms right in front of me. I tucked my hands a little farther into my cardigan sleeves and couldn’t take my eyes off the branches for a while.

The green forest stretched on behind the blossoms. The road ran into the distance beside the white guardrail, with flowering branches overlapping along the way. Up close, I could enjoy each bloom; farther back, I could take in the view along the whole road. I was glad I’d left plenty of time for blossom-viewing today.

I scooped up a little of the acerola slush I was holding. It was cold at first, then came a sweet, tangy taste. Cherry blossoms in winter, with a cold treat in hand—just thinking about the combination made me smile. I peeked into the cup again.

The uphill road to Yaedake’s summit is about 4 km long, and I hear there are around 7,000 Taiwan cherry trees along it, if not more. I could lose track of time just looking at the flowers in front of me, and they kept going farther up the road. Instead of trying to take them all in at once, I found myself wanting to linger over the branches that caught my eye right there.

Acerola is a specialty fruit, carefully cultivated in Motobu Town. I got to taste a treat made with local acerola while the cherry blossoms were in season. With my spoon still in hand, I looked back up at the blossoms and felt that winter drive slowly becoming a memory of my own.

Before scooping up the last bite, I looked past the white guardrail at the blossoms stretching away. Before I came, I couldn’t wait to see cherry blossoms in January. Now I wanted to keep looking a little longer. I readjusted my grip on the cup and let my gaze wander slowly from the nearby branches to the forest farther back.