Animal Hanami 動物花見

Sumaura park is located on the western slopes of the Rokkō mountains in Suma, Kōbe. Created on land originally owned by the Imperial family, in 1934 it was converted into a public park that is a splendid place to view sakura blossoms in the spring and the changing color of the leaves in autumn. The park has many hiking trails and at the foot of one of these trials is a small house that also serves as a rest stop and cantina. On this particular day it was not fellows of the two legged variety, but instead many furry quadrupeds who were comfortably viewing the blooming sakura from the mats beneath the trees - and catching a nap.

Ōsaka Mint Sakura Tunnel

One of the famous sakura-viewing events in Ōsaka is the 'torinuke' (going through) viewing at the head office of the Japan Mint, the government-affiliated body that makes the nation's coins. For one week in April the gates are opened and the mint hosts between 700,000 to 800,000 sakura lovers eager to see the famous trees inside the compound. The 560-meter path, called 'sakura no touri nuke' (sakura tunnel), offers over 100 varieties of sakura trees most of which are varieties that start blooming later in the season marking this 120 year old event as one of the last chances to catch sakura hanami in this region. The throngs of people that shuffle shoulder to shoulder through this narrow one-way path makes this event very claustrophobic, however, I was lucky enough to be invited by some friends for a 'by invitation only' night viewing. We also enjoyed some uniquely salty sakura tea complete with whole flowers heads and petals.

Sakura & Kamogawa 鴨川

Kamogawa, or wild duck river, rises from Mount Sajikigatake in the north of Kyōto and later joins the Takano River at the Kamo-ôhashi bridge and goes through the center of the city. Photographed at dusk near Kyōto university, I am somewhat confused as to why the trees are green in the reflection of the river when they are clearly red and pink with blossoms? A trick of light that has been bent and filtered by water, smog and the curvature of the planet I guess, though it gives me the sense that if you dived head-first into the water you just might resurface in another reality altogether. . .

Ginkaku-ji 銀閣寺

Ginkaku-ji or The Temple of the Silver Pavilion, is a Zen temple in the Sakyo ward of Kyōto that was originally built to serve as a place of rest and solitude for the Shogun. During his reign as Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa inspired a new outpouring of traditional culture.

"I love

My hut

At the foot of the Moon-awaiting Mountain

And the reflection

Of the sinking sky"

Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa (1436-1490)

Pictured is the karaesanisui garden (dry garden) called Ginshaden or the Sea of Silver Sand. The garden consists of a 2 foot platform of sand that is meant to be viewed as a sea. The highly labor intensive maintenance of the garden requires that the platform walls be reshaped and the garden re-raked everyday. The cone shaped structure is called the Kogetsudai, or Moon-viewing Platform, it might resemble Mount Fuji or was possibly designed to reflect divine light into the hearts of the visitors like the moon. Final image is from the sakura lined path that leads to the gate of the temple and its garden.

Sakura of Kyōto 京都

Sakura on the streets of Kyōto, photographs from left to right, the torii before the main gate of the Heian Jingu an imperial Shinto shrine. This torii is one of the largest in Japan and the main building of the Jingu, or shaden, is designed to imitate the Kyōto Imperial Palace on a three-fourth scale. The other images are from a riverside path just stumbled upon while walking around - these parks or paths are quite common in Kyōto and when the sakura are blooming the reflection off the water is quite wonderful. The final image shows a sakura tree branch that has grown low near the water offering a unique perspective on the blossom bundles, as seen from above.

Philosopher's Path 哲学の道 #1

The Philosopher's Path (Tetsugaku no michi) is a pleasant stone path through the northern part of Kyōto's Higashiyama district. The path follows a canal lined by hundreds of cherry trees and this last weekend these trees exploded with the color of blossoming flowers, drawing with them people from all over Japan and abroad to line every corner of the path. Along with the many Hanami peoples the blossoms also attract many photographers and fine artists with pen, pencil, brush and paint.

Philosopher's Path 哲学の道 #2

The Philosopher's Path begins in the north around The Ginkakuji Temple (Temple of the Silver Pavilion) and ends in the neighborhood of Nanzenji to the south at the Kumano Nyakuoji Shrine and Eikan-do Hall. The path gets its name from philosophy professor Nishida Kitaro who was said to practice meditation while walking this route on his daily commute to Kyōto University.

Philosopher's Path 哲学の道 #3

When Kyōto was designated as Japan's capital in the 700s, one of the downsides of the location was its topography and weather. During the summer months, ocean humidity traveled from the south backs up into the Kyōto valley, which is surrounded by mountains on the west, north, and east, trapping the stifling air. To mitigate the high temperature and humidity during the summer season, a system of canals called 'yari-mizu' or "fashioned streams" were constructed to bring water closer to dwelling in order to provide irrigation and natural cooling.

Arashiyama (嵐山) Sakura

Arashiyama is a pleasant, touristy district on the western outskirts of Kyoto and also refers to the mountain across the Ōi River which forms the backdrop to the district. Pictured is a quaint river boat just up - stream from the Togetsukyo, the wooden (now partially concrete) bridge that is a landmark of the district. Arashiyama is well known for its brilliant - colorful displays occurring during the changing of the seasons and reflecting in its many waterways.

Kitano Tenman Jinja

Two views of the stone stairs at Kitano Tenman Jinja in the Kitano-cho region of Kōbe at the foot of mount Rokkō. It is said that Taira-no-Kiyomori (平 清盛), a general of the late Heian period who was responsible for the establishment of the first samurai-dominated administrative government, founded the shrine. The Shrine also offers an expansive view of Kōbe on a clear day.

Sakura Shukugawa さくら夙川

The Shukugawa Park and its sakura seems to be one of the main attractions in this part of Nishinomiya. The JR Kōbe station is named after it and everywhere you look are images and symbols of sakura. The sakura here were planted under the guidance of Sasabe Shintaro, one of Japan’s foremost sakura-experts and biologists, who also happened to live in Nishinomiya. The park was started prior to WWII but planting was halted during the war. Luckily the park was finished shortly after the war ended and has grown into one of the top 100 sakura viewing places in Japan, as selected by the Japan Cherry Blossom Association (NPO).

Sakura 桜 - Shukugawa

Located in western Nishinomiya this riverside park is a wonderful spot to enjoy the sakura and the many people engaged in appreciating them. Enjoying flowers in Japan is quite popular and it even has a term "hanami" or flower viewing (花見), a practice many centuries old originally limited to the elite of the Imperial Court but soon spread to the common people. Under the sakura trees people lunch and drink sake in cheerful revelry. Spring has finally arrived, so it is time to prepare a bento, pack into one of Japan's many parks, find a flowering sakura, throw down a plastic sheet & blanket (don't forget to take off your shoes!), oh and bring lots of booze and get totally cockeyed.

Tonbo トンボ（蜻蛉)

A rather large damselfly, a very close relative to the dragonfly, among the Sakura blossoms - the modern name for the dragonfly is tombo (tonbo is damselfly) but the more traditional name is kachimushi which literally means "victory bug". During the 11th century noble Japanese families used the dragonfly as ornamentation on everything from furnishings to textiles and was a fairly common motif on samurai swords, armor and uniforms. One reason for this is because a dragonfly always flies forward and seemingly never retreats and consequently became associated with strength, courage, success and victory. Japanese legend has it that an Emperor was bitten by a horsefly which, in turn, was eaten by a dragonfly. The Emperor honored the dragonfly by naming what is now Japan “Akitsushima” which (during that time) translated to “Isle of the Dragonfly”.

Sakura 桜 - Night Viewing

One of the main streets in Motomachi 元町 is lined with early blooming sakura trees so I took advantage of a well placed street lamp to take a photographic night view of the flowers. In some public parks with these trees large spot lights are set-up so the blossoms can be appreciated long into the night, often accompanied by picnics, libations and friends - this busy expressway, however, is not an ideal location for this kind of viewing but is beautiful none-the-less.

Sakura 桜

The Sakura or flowering cherry trees have started to blossom and this is one of my first attempts this season to capture their beauty, though many are sure to follow. Taken by how these trees, located in the middle of downtown Sannomiya, are contrasted against the concrete and brick inspired me to use the 'toy camera' setting on my LX3 to emulate the atmosphere.