Participating in the Japanese tradition of Hanami, or "flower viewing" at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden during springtime is one of the simplest pleasures I've had that didn't involve food.

For four weeks, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is home to pink and white buds that bloom from the branches of 220 different cherry trees throughout the park, the largest collection of cherry trees cultivated outside of Japan.

The short, ephemeral viewing season is also capped off with the Sakura Matsuri festival, which gathers together the varied skills of Taiko drummers, Bonsai experts, folk dancers, J-pop acts and even Samurai sword fighters for two full days of performances amidst countless, quickly falling petals.