It is Golden Week in Japan.  This is a week when LOTS of locals take vacation and do tourist things.  I think Golden Week is timed to coincide with the blooming of the cherry blossoms.  We were certainly lucky to find them in bloom when we visited Hirosaki Castle.  I'm not going to try and label or explain each picture.  Instead, I will present them gallery style with a few comments interspersed. 
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