Cherry blossoms last only a very short time, a matter of days, and in Japan that time is special. People in Japan temporarily abandon their work, drop other commitments, and travel long distances to participate in time-honored rituals which enable them to explore, appreciate, and experience the ephemeral beauty of the event, an experience they call Hanami, which means "viewing the cherry blossoms." Most people have long forgotten how, as young children, daily life was a kind of Hanami in which they offered themselves up to the experience of each moment, using all of their senses to touch, feel, explore, investigate, and rearrange the world around them. This mode of learning is intimate, immediate, and idiosyncratic, and works particularly well where it originated: in the natural world. This article discusses how nature, particularly the time of Hanami, offers the ideal learning laboratory for young children as it encourages them to discover its secrets, to try out their ideas, and to learn how it all works.