The April month is the season of Sakura trees blossom in the Tohoku region of the Japan. It is a fantastic and extremely beautiful period of time. That is why, I and my friends enjoyed by the traveling around the Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures almost every weekend days during the April month.

The first places what we visited in the first weekend of the April were Shiroishi castle (very old and famous place) and the famous 1000 Sakura trees place located on the river bank (SenBon Sakura), what is situated not far from Shiroishi castle.

The Shiroishi castle (Fig. 1) is a museum place, surrounded by the Sakura trees garden. It is possible to enter inside and enjoy by the living conditions of the Japanese aristocratic people who lived in the Middle Ages. Also, it should be noted, that in the first weekend of April Sakura trees just started to blossom, and it was very interesting to visit this place in this time.
The SenBon Sakura also is a very amazing place. The 1000 Sakura trees were illuminated even in the night time (Fig. 2); it is a very beautiful landscape. A lot of people cooked barbecues under the Sakura trees and we also did the same and enjoyed our time under the Sakura trees.

Fig. 1. Shiroishi castle

　　Fig. 2. SenBon Sakura garden

The next weekend was dedicated to Sakura party (Hanami) in our institute (Fig. 3, a). A lot of members from the different laboratories came to the Sakura places in the institute garden, settled under the big Sakura trees (Fig. 3, b), ate lunch from the lunch boxes (Fig. 3, c) and drank beer. It was very nice celebration of spring season coming. I was really enjoying my time with my friends. As for the lunch box, it was full of different Japanese style food (Fig. 3, d) and was very delicious.

Fig. 3. Sakura party (Hanami): The members of our institute sitting under the Sakura trees (a)

Big Sakura tree near the Institute buildings (b)

Sakura lunch box (c)

Delicious food inside the Sakura lunch box (d)

Next night (from Saturday to Sunday) was an Orthodox Easter holiday. In the day time before it, at the central of Sendai city (in the covered pedestrian street – Ichibancho) took place small wind box concert (Fig. 4, a). The musicians were playing very nice popular music in wind box execution. It was really nice performance. I even recorded of this performance on my video camera. In the evening my Russian friends and I met this holy holiday in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Sendai city (Fig. 4, b). All over the night we listened the church celebration of the archbishop Seraphim and prayed for the health, love and happiness of all the people of the world and for our families. It should be noted, that I had started preparation for the Easter holiday beforehand: painted the Easter eggs and prepared the Easter cakes (Fig. 4, c). As for the Easter cakes, it should be noted, that one of my Japanese friends cooked it for me. It was very nice and delicious. Also, we exchanged by the Easter eggs between my friends, as it required the tradition of the Easter.

Fig. 4. Orthodox Easter holiday: Wind box concert in Ichibancho (a);

Annunciation Cathedral of the Sendai city (b)

The Easter eggs and the Easter cakes (c)

During all Sunday day (after meeting the Easter holiday) I took a walk around the University Katahira campus and enjoyed the Sakura trees. The inner court of the Katahira campus is extremely beautiful especially under the Sakura blossom in spring time (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5. Sakura blossom in Katahira campus of the Tohoku University.

Next weekend my friends and I made an unforgettable trip to Fukushima prefecture. We visited the famous and beautiful place Hanamiyama (Fig. 6). It was quite late for Sakura blossom, because most of the flowers in that period of time already fell down, but anyway our trip was very interesting. It should be noted that Hanamiyama is famous not only by the Sakura trees flowers, but also a lot of other flowers and trees collected on the large area of the beautiful park, which is situated not far from the Fukushima city. That day we made some small Hanami in the Hanamiyama Park, made a hiking on the Hanamiyama hills and made a travel from the Hanamiyama Park to the center of the Fukushima city by walk. It was nice and sunny day and we got a great pleasure.

Fig. 6. Hanamiyama Park, Fukushima prefecture.

On the 24th of April our Institute was visited the Nobel prize winner prof. Gerard ‘t Hooft. He presented a very interesting presentation about Large Hadron Collider for the staff and the students of Tohoku University. It was an interesting talk and people in the auditory (Fig. 7) asked him a lot of questions.

Fig. 7. Lecture of the Nobel prize winner prof. Gerard ‘t Hooft.

In the last weekend of the April I made a trip to the fantastically beautiful place of the Miyagi prefecture – Matsushima (Fig. 8). Matsushima is included in three most famous views of Japan. It is the place with the about 260 small islands covered in pines. It is amazing and very beautiful place and I am going to visit Matsushima again for many times. It should be noted, that one of the famous Japanese poets Matsuo Basho loss for words after visited Matsushima bay, because of the great excitement.

Fig. 8. Matsushima, one of the three most famous views of Japan.