about Meet Me by the Sakura tree

After her grandmother passed away, Sakura Morida embarked on a trip to her Grammy's birthplace in Japan with one simple plan: eat ramen while watching the cherry blossoms fall from the tree. She hoped that she'd feel closer to her if she was able to do her Grammy's favorite pastime. 

But her train arrived before the sun had risen. The ramen shop was closed. There's no cherry blossom tree in sight.

There's a handsome stranger who also seemed to be the only other person awake in the village. And he's asking her to follow him.

How far is she willing to go to follow her grandmother's footsteps?

disclaimer

You'll be able to tell quickly that I am not Japanese. Not fully, and definitely, not born and raised. The closest I've been to Japan is the Narita International Airport for a layover. Please forgive the Romanized spelling of the Japanese words as they came from Google. There's not as much Japanese left after editing. The translations of what's left can be found in-line comments along with references to some research I did for this short story.

While the Higashinarune Village and surrounding tourist spots mentioned are real places, this is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. 

copyright
© April 2023, Meet Me by the Sakura tree

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic methods without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please send a direct message to the author.

about Sakura Blossoms 2023
(source: Back of the House - Guide and Contests)

I heard about this writing contest from Romance. AmbassadorsJP in collaboration with various profiles hosted a short story contest with the following guidelines:
— 2000-4000 words
— English or Japanese
— Cherry blossoms included in the story element
— No mature stories

I chose the writing prompt from FoodKart.
— Solo traveling makes you want to explore the quiet historical villages of Japan. First on the list, eat in a quaint ramen shop as the cherry blossoms fall from the trees, signifying the start of spring.

about character look inspirations