Postcard from... Tsuyama

The fleeting visit of the spring blossom to Japan is a major event in the country’s calendar.

Hanging around for only a couple of weeks before surrendering to the wind, the coming of the sakura is cause for celebration up and down the country.

We are in Tsuyama in the Okayama prefecture, south-western Japan. It is the latest stop on our journey from Tokyo by bullet train.

In the shadow of the ruins of a 17th-century castle, said to have been among the country’s most spectacular, we watch troupes of kimonoed women give traditional dance performances and eat piping-hot gyoza dumplings from a nearby stall.

It’s hard to resist the array of food on offer and this, I admit, is my third plate.

Suddenly, to our right, the blast of a horn. We follow the crowd towards a steep bank of steps. Spread out across them in strict formation stand 15 or so men decked out in samurai armour. Each holds a rifle.

The horn is blown again and one by one the men raise their guns. Bang, bang, bang, bang. We clasp our ears for each ear-splitting shot.

When the broadside is over, I cautiously let my hands drop to my side – and watch as pink and white petals tumble down from the branches above.

Spring has officially arrived.