Today’s photo is a wide shot of the Oto river in Okazaki. This was taken towards the end of the blossoms, so many had already fallen. But you can still see a few on either side of the river. You can also make out the lights among them. Typically, most cities light up the blossoms at night. We call them yozakura when lit up this way. Some places go all out and use tons of lights, making the tree glow.
To say cherry blossoms are a big deal in Japan would be an under-statement. Every year between February and April, Japan turns white and pink. The white ones (soimeyoshino / 染井吉野 / そめいよしの) are the most popular. These bloom in late March/early April in Honshu (the main island of Japan) and line up nicely with the beginning of the school year. Because of this, many Japanese see the blossoms as the start of the new year.
The someiyoshino is actually a fairly recent variety, being developed in the mid to late 19th century. Despite this, someiyoshino have become so deeply associated with cherry blossoms that most movies and books of old Japan feature them, even though they didn’t exist at the times these works of fiction show!
As always, click on the photo for a larger version, and go to my flickr page to grab the full resolution version if you want it. Also, read more on someiyoshino and cherry blossoms in general from wikipedia.
Hope you enjoyed the photo, friends. If you enjoyed that, be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed to stay up to date. Also, sign-up for the free newsletter to receive the best photos of the week in your inbox — every week! Sign-up now and you’ll also receive a free gift.
Finally, if you enjoy the daily photos, please consider supporting this site. I love giving away my photos to you guys, but I do have bills to pay (including for this site). Even as little as 50 cents would be much appreciated and would help keep JapanDave running. You can make a one-time contribution here or a $2 recurring contribution here. If you’d like some other options, visit my donation page. Thank you so much. (^_^)
