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| The Philosopher's Path |
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| The Imperial Palace park |
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| Sanjusangendo temple garden |
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| The Kamo river |
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| Very old cherry tree needing a lot a support, Daigo-ji (temple) |
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| Daigo-ji |
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| Nijo castle night-time illumination |
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| Cherry trees on the bank of the river at Gojo |
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| Kiyamchi street at night |
This is a small selection of the hundreds of photos I was compelled to take during sakura (cherry blossom) season. It's my first ever spring in Japan, and I did not imagine that it would be so spectacular, but the sweeping, arching trees bursting into beautiful pastel blooms will remain imprinted forever on my mind. I understand now why there is a blossom forecast, much like the weather forecast, beamed out through televisions into every home in Japan. I became one of the avid photographers who scrutinises the tree, trying to judge when the 80% bloom will become 100%, trying to capture the fleeting beauty on film. Then there were the hanami parties, picnicking under the blossoming trees. Rather than a rowdy affair laid out across the jarringly blue tarpaulins that have become a common sight, I enjoyed lovely lunches with a few friends sitting in a quiet spot, in the middle of a dome of flowers which cascaded all around me. Sometimes it felt like I was in a fairy-tale world of trees, honestly!
My advice to make the most of this natural phenomena:
- 1.
Regularly check online reports of the sakura hot-spots with updates of the percentage blooms of trees to let you know when
they reach full bloom. The blooming times for different types of trees and
trees in different areas varies.
- 2.
Visit the most popular spots as early as
possible in the morning – ideally before 9:30am. Soon afterwards hordes of
tourists may arrive on buses and ruin the peaceful atmosphere!
- 3.
Watch the weather forecast and make the most of
sunny days – a rainy day and strong winds can cause many blossoms to fall.
The Japan guide offered regular reports on the progress of blossoms in Kyoto:
For beautiful sakura photos from all over Japan, inspiration for 2014:
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