Hanami at Tadodai House

Returning to the scene of the crime, an expression familiar to mystery fans, is just what Weather Explorer and I did Friday morning. Except Weather Explorer was not guilty of any crime the last time we visited Tadodai House to view cherry blossoms. The party who imbibed three tall glasses of hot sake on a chilly spring evening in 2010 was me.

This year we experienced hanami in the morning, the weather was much more obliging, and the hot sake was noticeably missing. The only similarity between this year and last, in fact, was the Ancient Mariner's absence.  He has the misfortune to spend the loveliest part of the year floating around the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Japan aboard the USS Blue Ridge. But rumor has it that he'll be back in two days to catch the tail end of this year's cherry blossoms. Be still my heart.

Hiroko, Yoko, Hisayo, Weather, Tomoko, Yuuko

Just when I was thinking life doesn't get any better than this, a group of preschoolers marched around the corner of the Tadodai House and life quickly got better than this. Their teachers lined them up under the spreading branches of a cherry tree for class pictures. The five-year olds wore blue hats, the four-year olds were in yellow, and the littlest cuties -- the three-year olds -- sported green caps.

Weather and Bossy entertain the adorable little moppets

Weather and I were expecting to head for a local restaurant with our friends after we'd had our fill of cherry blossoms. Much to our surprise, they marched us out the gate and up the next driveway to the home of the Yokosuka District Commandant of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force where Takashima-san hosted a lovely and bountiful luncheon for about a dozen current and former JAW members.

I tasted food I've never tried before -- mochi, a Korean casserole with radishes so large I thought they were potatoes, and a delicious salmon salad with cabbage and corn -- and was seated next to a very sweet lady who shares my love of books. She is the first person I've met who's read the Japanese thriller Out besides my sister and me. Simply having that book in common made me feel like I'd known her for several years rather than just an hour.

What a blessing it is to have such hospitable friends.