Unlike the last time I’d been here, there wasn’t a single cherry blossom petal to be seen. Instead, when I looked up through the fresh summer leaves, I could see patches of sky so bright that I couldn’t tell if they were blue or white. Everything was so dazzling it felt like it might give me a rash. Instead of sunshine and breezes, I wanted to feel the harsh wind of winter, the kind that mercilessly strips the moisture from your skin.
