The lone cherry blossom tree stands majestic outside the residence of the Lozada couple in Barangay Ilaya, Dumanjug, Cebu. | Contributed Photo / Jeff Patalinjug
Cebu City, Philippines— There is a head turner in the town of Dumanjug, a southern municipality located 73 kilometers from Cebu City, and it stands outside the residence of couple Cherry and Cezar Lozada.
Making the rounds on social media platform, Facebook, is a photo of a 15-year-old cherry blossom tree, which was planted by the couple in their residence in Barangay Ilaya, Dumanjug town.
The tree’s soft pink color gives a different feel to the surroundings.
Onlookers could not help but take pictures of the tree, which reminds them of Japan, where most people say is the best place to view the magnificent cherry blossoms.
Joey Nemil, the son-in-law of the Lozada couple, said his parents were mesmerized by the cherry blossoms during a 2004 trip to Hawaii.
Back in Dumanjug, the couple tried to plant several seedlings of the tree but only one survived.
It took five years before they saw the flowers blossom.
Nemil said the tree usually blossoms during the Holy Week season.
In Japan, cherry blossoms symbolize both the beauty and fragility of life. It reminds people that life can be beautiful but can also be tragically short.
The cherry blossom season of most major cities in Japan such as Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto takes place in early April. Other areas such as the northern island of Hokkaido celebrates the season when the flowers bloom in late May. In subtropical islands such as Japan’s Okinawa, cherry blossom season falls as early as January.
Now that the flowers are in full bloom, the Lozada couple’s cherry tree is one of the favorite places in Dumanjug, which gives people a glimpse of what they can see in Japan.
Events organizer and communications practitioner, Kimo Cea, posted a photo of the tree taken by his friend, Jeff Patalinjug, which has been shared online and gained positive reactions. / celr