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The hanami parties officially started on the Kanda River on April 1 (and run through April 10). That evening included very warm temperatures and a very strong wind. The “shake” in the above picture wasn’t from my hand; the cause was the wind through the trees.
The building in the background is the Four Seasons Hotel at Chinzanso.
As promised, I took some cherry blossom (sakura) pictures of the Kanda River this morning. In the above photo some people are staking out a spot for flower viewing (hanami). Blue tarps are always used for some reason.
We sat on one of the blue tarps this past weekend at a hanami we were invited to attend. There weren’t many flowers yet, but the food was great, the company much more pleasant than the non-smiling faces above indicate, and we played loads of tennis with them too.
Everyone (except those suffering from allergies I suppose) loves sakura, but there are three groups who really love the cherry blossoms. They are the photographers, …
… the kids, …
and especially the (old) ladies (with a camera).
Kansenen Koen (甘泉園公園) has only one cherry tree. What it lacks in numbers it makes up for in magnificence as that one tree is really spectacular.
Basho’s hermitage is in the background of the above photo. The river is once again the Kanda.
Watching this guy try to get a picture of his bulldog along with the cherry blossoms brought a bigger smile to my face than the blossoms themselves. Everyone is happy when the blossoms are out. It’s a great time to take a walk and see everyone smiling, even if you can’t get your pet to grin.
On March 26 we visited Shinjuku Gyoen (新宿御苑) for the first time. It was still a week or so too early for the peak of the cherry blossoms (sakura), but a half dozen of the trees were in full bloom. Hanami was in full swing regardless. The best cherry blossom viewing time varies a bit each year, but this year, like most years, it looks like the first week of April will be the best time to view sakura in Tokyo.
Some didn’t care about the flowers. They were there to play on the grass.
Others came only for pictures of the flowers with some serious equipment.
There were other flowers in full bloom, like these Chaenomeles.
As I was digging through some photos I took in Kyoto I came upon this rather lovely one and determined to find out what the lantern meant. かがり火 is simple enough. Kagaribi means bonfire. 祇園 is Gion (the famous Gion known for teahouses and geisha). No surprises there as I took this picture in 円山 (maruyama) park which is either in or right next to Gion. So I figured this must be in reference to some bonfire festival that would shortly be taking place in the park. Right?
Wrong. A quick google search turned up this site, meaning that this decorative lantern is nothing more than an advertisement for a nearby restaurant which specializes in its tofu dishes.
Oh well. It’s more attractive than the billboards plastered along the sides of U.S. highways.
The above photograph is from Kiyomizudera (清水寺) in Kyoto. The boards to the right are ema. Below I have a picture of one close up.
Normally these wooden plaques are written on in Japanese and contain a wish or request. This one had some rare English and is used more as a memorial than the typical desire or prayer.
Zenshoan is best known for its ghost scrolls (幽霊画), which I hope to see this August, but in late March it can also be a nice place to visit with the blossoms beginning to bloom. The gold statue of the Buddha in the background is quite large. It overlooks the cemetery (墓所) on the grounds. Located in “Old Tokyo” in Yanaka (谷中), the shitamachi neighborhood is fun to stroll around.