By Adam Waxman

The sakura remained in bloom longer this season, as if in delicate defiance of recent events, and as an enchanting reminder of the subtle beauty of Japan. Like that of no other people, the Japanese spirit is enduring, perhaps because they maintain a genuine appreciation for the little things—like an awe-inspiring flower.

Undeterred by the reality and the sensationalism of recent news, I returned to Kansai after having lived there years ago, and fell in love with Kyoto all over again. On my brief visit, I stayed at the Hoshinoya ryokan in Arashiyama. While I did not know what to expect, I was received with great enthusiasm, and a youthful energy to introduce me to cultural arts from incense ceremony, juzu (beaded bracelets), and soba making, to early morning chanting and meditation with a monk.

Strolling through Kyoto's Nisihiki market, I was delighted to sample sweet little confections thematically crafted for the cherry blossom season. On one side of the lane, small wooden boxes filled with tiny pink flowers of sugar and toothpick sized chopsticks for decoration. On the other, a display of skewered octopi stuffed with quail eggs, and a laminated sign reading "Delicious! How about trying this?" With each passing step, my inner voice was saying "kawaii!!"

At the labyrinthine Fushimi-inari shrine, a high school class trip weaved in and out of the thousands of torii gates that line the paths up the Inari mountain.  Inari is said to be the god of rice. Indulging in a warm, fresh Belgian waffle from the train station, and leisurely breathing in the spring air, I chuckled at the sight of the children with cameras taking group photos at every turn. This Heian period temple complex was founded in 711. It is easy to be wonderstruck when I find myself in a place that is so ancient, and yet so perfectly manicured and maintained to look as if it were at once always here and brand new. A young couple holding hands, discovering a new path, projected yet another meaning to this shrine, one of romance.

For the moment there are fewer crowds, but it seems that those who are visiting recognize that the tragic events of the north are so far away, and that the Kansai region is as serene as ever.  The big treat from the moment I stepped off the plane was a heart-warming appreciation for my arrival.

It is springtime in Japan, and all is in bloom.