The highlights of autumn in Japan are undoubtably the Ginkgo leaf which turns a brilliant yellow, and the Japanese Maple leaf, which turns a rich red. Everyone has their preference. I tend to prefer the Japanese maple. But when you combine the two of them… Well, it’s hard to compete with that.
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A look up at the altar of Mikawa Betsuin, a temple I’ve talked about before. The altars of these temples often aren’t as fancy as this one.
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It was a beautiful sky on this day when I ran up to the roof parking lot of the nearby Toys R Us to grab this photo.
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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.
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Your photo of the week:
In the States, front yards (and often back ones too) usually consist of nothing more than a lawn. Maybe a tree or two, some flowers, but mostly it
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