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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24 mm — 1/400 sec, f/8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Enjoying the Sakura on a Sunny Morning
Kyoto, Japan
Having a kid in elementary school means a new set of hours for the parents, and as part of that I found myself wandering around outside after returning from school. (Parents accompany first graders to school for the first few days; there are no school busses, so the vast majority of kids take the subway or bus, all by themselves, so the parents go for the first few days to ensure they're settled.)
I got off the bus one stop early to walk around the grounds of the municipal museum of art, which is pretty this time of year. (Clicking on the “nearby photos” link under the picture above yields lots of cherry-blossom pictures from previous years.)
As s I've mentioned before, the blossoms are sort of off this year, some having come earlier and some later....
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 56 mm — 1/1000 sec, f/5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
This Tree Is Well Past its Prime
once the leaves show up, the writing's on the wall
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 44 mm — 1/1250 sec, f/5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
The Tree Next To It is
At the Peak of Full Bloom
Looking into the sun back toward these same trees made for a hazy picture, but sort of nice nevertheless...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/1000 sec, f/5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Certainly, nicer than the gloomy scene from last week shot in this same location.
Over toward the cherry trees near my place, which were at their peak last week, they're now winding down...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/500 sec, f/3.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Winding Down
The ground is littered with blossom petals, which the wind whips around sometimes in snow-like flurries.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 52 mm — 1/320 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
It's a pretty time in Kyoto.
That bench where the man in black is sitting is one of my favorites in Kyoto. I often sit there and eat my lunch on my break. I’m going to be free from 11 to 1:30 today and hope to finally take some pictures around there if it’s not too late in the season.
Breathtakingly beautiful photos, as usual. I will sleep happily with dreams of sakura.
Domo arigato for sharing. Sadly, I am highly allergic to all sorts of pollen—-so pictures are sometimes preferable!
Oh, and you have the cutest first-grader. Congratulations on this significant day!