I thought today was going to be a continuation of being overwhelmed with photo opportunities, but luckily, my subconscious saved me from too much damage by arranging for me to forget to charge my camera batteries before heading out to the target-rich environment (photographically speaking) that is the Kyoto Higashiyama Hanatoro night lightup event.

It's going on every evening for a week or so in the Higashiyama ("Eastern Mountain") district of Kyoto just south of where I live, where quaint streets are closed to all but pedestrians and rickshaw, and lined with lanterns and the occasional brightly-lit display of ikebana. [...]

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I feel absolutely overwhelmed with stuff I want to write about and share.

I was hoping to finally get around to posting about some interesting things from last week's trip to Kanazawa. I'd already done one post with a few pics from Kenrokuen Gardens, but there's so much more, including the interesting "Modern Art (Japanese Style)" train station, and a pool you can go into without getting wet...

However, those plans got interrupted because Saturday was the graduation ceremony at Anthony's preschool, which created its own subject matter that awaits posting. I did do the one already, but I could [...]

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In my earlier cherry-blossom previews, I featured pictures from years past (standard cherry blossoms, some crepe-paper fluffy blossoms, and some plum blossoms), so for today's post I'd show what Kyoto's cherry blossoms look like today.

Around lunchtime, I found myself on the grounds of Kyoto's Imperial Palace, which is filled with all kinds of cherry trees. Pictured above is a nice stand of four surrounded by an old bamboo fence, but like the others, it's not yet their time. In three weeks or so, they'll be glorious. (See yesterday's timelapse movie for a sense of the timing.)

This next one [...]

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Earlier I posted a few preview pics of late-blooming "bundle-of-tissues" blossoms, and of plum blossoms, so today I'm posting a few pics of Kyoto's run-of-the-mill "cherry blossom" blossoms.

These first three pictures were taken a year ago by hooking up a bunch of extension tubes between the camera and my big Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 zoom. I didn't yet have my good tripod, so this big, heavy combination on my previous (tiny, flimsy) tripod made for a comical view.

The three pictures above are fairly so-so – nothing special – but I've included them here to delay you a bit so [...]

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