On Being Lost...

I couldn't find the street that would take me from the Ochiai post office to Shimoochiai. I stopped a Japanese lady and asked her where the road was. She apologized and replied that she didn't know the area, but if I walked a few blocks and followed the river with blooming sakura trees, it would take me to where I was going.

For a half mile, the river was lined on both sides with cherry blossoms in full bloom. I found myself thinking what a strange and beautiful place I had stumbled upon.