05e88abd-1639-4b31-af4d-bd13637ac6b3_07-Cherry-Blossoms

Cherry Blossoms, Japan —Photograph by Diane Cook and Len Jenshel, National Geographic —In Japan the nighttime viewing of cherry blossoms in spring, like these at Kyoto’s Hirano Shrine, is a special event. “The cherries’ only fault: the crowds that gather when they bloom,” wrote Saigyo, a 12th-century poet.