Monday, March 23, 2009

Pretty in Pink (Tokyo, Japan)

From late March every year, for little more than two weeks, the Japanese cherry trees blossom in seas of whites and pinks across Japan. Visiting Tokyo briefly for work, I managed to squeeze in a quick walk down the alleyways of Tokyo's Yanaka Cemetery towards the end of the short blossom season - the path and ground littered with the elegant pink flowers.

Celebrated as the arrival of spring, the Japanese adore this time of year as families populate parks and shrines full of these spectacular trees for picnics, quiet strolls and family gatherings. Similar to the kaleidoscopic fall colours so popular in North America, the local inhabitants have favourite vantage points to celebrate hirami and sight the magnificent oceans of colour.

In parks, boats can be hired to row gently along the streams to enjoy the tree-lines banks, the blossom-laden branches leaning towards the water weighed down by their rampant blooms.

Other Asian Posts
Symphony of Lights (Hong Kong)
Happy Birthday, Peak Train (Hong Kong)
It’s All in the Stars (Jaipur, India)
A Royal Facade (Jaipur, India)
A Monument to Love (Taj Mahal, India)
From Dead Duck to Bird Heaven (Bharatpur, India)

Notes
Source: Boat Photo

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sakura! Sakura! Great that you shared your experience with the pinky scene in Japan. I've been dreaming lately to witness the blossom of oriental cherry in Japan! I heard they even rented out tiny picnic spaces for tourists for thousands of dollars!
Cheers!

Cecil

Anonymous said...

An afternoon spent rowing about in one of those boats amongst cherry blossoms sounds pretty wonderful.

Anonymous said...

Spring in Japan must be a bit mroe advanced than the UK. My Cherry tree is only just starting to bud up nad it will be another month before it blooms. But they sure are spectacular en-masse.

Anonymous said...

@cecil: I'd love to see it for more than a few fleeting moments between visiting customers.

@footsteps: The boat thing sounds wonderful.

@fh4u: Maybe its a bit warmer in Japan than the UK?

Japan SIM card said...

We know all that Japan is famous for its technology, hard worker guys, loyalty. But beside this, we could see that Japan is also famous for its culture. We could get many temples, ancient places and national parks and museum.

Some famous locations in Japan:

Akashi Kaikyo Suspension Bridge
Asakusa Kannon Temple in Tokyo
Byodo-in Temple
Chion-In Temple in Kyoto
Daibutsu - Great Buddha of Kamakura
Daitokuji Temple in Kita-ku
at Night in Chuo, Tokyo
Golden Pavilion Temple in Kyoto
Hakone Lake District in Kanagawa
Heian Shrine
Higashi Hongan-Ji Temple in Kyoto
Himeji Castle
Horyuji Temple
Ise Shrine
Kasuga Shrine
Katsura Imperial Villa
Kiyomizu Temple
Kyoto National Museum

Mark H said...

@japan simcard: Thank you for your suggestions.

 
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