Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — ¹/180 sec, f/10, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Delicate (but Thoroughly) Pink
Cherry Blossoms · Kyoto, Japan

I'm not sure what variety these blossoms are, but they're quite different from the standard white blossoms that are just getting going in Kyoto, the late-blooming fluffy pink variety, and (of course) the deeply rich plum-blossom pinks. The colors are much like the shidare zakura (“crimson willow cherry”) that fill the nearby Heian-Shrine, but the tree doesn't seem all that willowy, so I don't know.

I've been busy on Lightroom projects, and trying to get ready for a short trip to the Amami Islands that we're starting tomorrow morning, but I knew this tree was at full bloom, so I made the five-minute walk over to see it today.

On the way, I was struck by a green willowy tree among the just-getting-started normal cherry blossoms, along the canal...

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 82 mm — ¹/2500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sorta' Pretty

Pictures taken from this same vantage point have appeared in my blog many times:
  · Kyoto Cherry-Blossom Preview
  · Night Long-Exposure Cherry Blossoms
  · Cooling Off with Pastel Cherry-Blossom Desktop Backgrounds
The bridge in the background is the on featured in last month's Snowy Bridge in Kyoto post.

Anyway, I like the flowing green tree. I didn't realize it until I got back and inspected my photos that the tree either has really fuzzy leaf/seed/whatevers, or is totally infested with fuzzy green caterpillars. Here's a closer view from a different angle...

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Fuzzy Willowy Green Stuff
(click for a larer version showing more detail)

However, my destination was another minute away....

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — ¹/3200 sec, f/3.2, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/8, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Hmmm, These Look Sorta' Willowy

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/6.3, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Not so Willowy

They're all from the same tree, a huge tree on an empty lot with a tall ugly fence in front (made to look like an ivy-covered brick wall) and surrounded by ugly utility poles and wires. Ugh.

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/6.3, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Looks Better Up Close

As nice as the tree is (or would be in better surroundings), it's much more spectacular in the fall, with colors so intense that you can sear a retina just glancing at it. I couldn't find any photos of it in my image library, likely because of its unphotogenic surroundings. Such is the challenge of living in an urban area in Japan.

While in the area, I noticed this motorcycle officer waiting to catch people running a stop sign....

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 155 mm — ¹/3000 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Thou Shalt Not Run The Stop Sign

I waved when I took the shot, but he didn't so much as blink. Perhaps he was looking past me to the cherry tree behind me.

The last time I saw him there was in the fall when I'd walked out to get pictures of some of the foliage along the canal. He was there with two other officers, just shooting fish in a barrel. Today he was alone, and apparently not in the mood to write tickets because I saw people totally blast through the stop (while pedestrians were in the crosswalk!) and he didn't do anything. Sigh.

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — ¹/800 sec, f/6.3, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Walking By

On the way home, some young girls (perhaps in middle school) were sounding pretty darn good with their brass...

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 98 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/3.5, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Jam Session

You may remember that budding tree on the left – at a much chillier time – from the final image on my Amazing Snow at the Heian Shrine post last month.

I probably won't post while we're in Amami, so this'll likely be my last post until the middle of next week....