We asked Yasuhiko Shirota to take us on a visit to the flowering season in his homeland, Japan, and he kindly replied with this striking set of images and haiku.

He was born in Nagano City, Japan in 1941 and is a graduate of Waseda University.

He is a member of the "sakura no mi" Japanese Haiku Club and the Megura International Friendship Association, International Haiku Circle.

A selection of his haiku also appeared in the previous issue of Simply Haiku: March/April 2004.