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Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/1250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
First
first cherry blossom in all of Japan, 2011
Well, perhaps not the first in all of Japan, considering that the cherry-blossom season can start in early January in the southern islands, and also not first considering that some varieties of cherry have been blossoming for weeks already here in Kyoto, but this morning I found the first cherry blossom in the local area, which is populated with Japan's “standard” Yoshino Cherry.
I was happy to have noticed the one single blossom among all the buds on all the trees around. By the time I returned from some errands, more had appeared, but this was the lone blossom at the time, so I feel “special” for having found it. 🙂
Other branches had a fractal vibe going on...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Everyone Else
It's been cold since “Cherry Blossoms on the Verge” three days ago, even with a bit of snow the other day. Exactly one year ago today we had some snow (“Cherry Blossoms in the Driving Snow”), but with a temperature steady today at 14°C (57°F), it was short-sleeve weather if you were of a mind for it. Rain is moving in as I write this in the late afternoon... I wonder whether we'll get snow tonight.
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/1250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Enjoying the Day
some family that came along at a not-wholly-unphotogenic time
Looking at the photo in the year-ago post that I mentioned above, I'm struck at how full the blossoms were on March 29 last year (maybe 30%) compared to this year (0.0001%). Looking at my cherry-blossom timelapse from photos taken in 2007, it looks like last year was on time and this year is a couple of days late. In any case, next weekend and the week after should be glorious, and I'm definitely looking forward to some cherry-blossom Joie de Vivre if the weather is nice.
On a different note, yesterday Fumie's brother and his wife visited for lunch, and for dessert we had a variety of snacks, including some cherry-blossom laden sweets Fumie picked up at a local bakery....
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — 1/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1000 — full exif
Seasonal Sweets
topped with a cherry blossom under glaze
I wonder where they get the blossoms? Maybe from some of the earlier-blooming varieties, or from some of the earlier-blooming regions...
ENJOYING THE DAY is an interesting photo for that ‘bridge’. I love how in Japan and other places –the complete nanny-fication of everything has not set in like it has in the United States. If that bridge was in a Kyoto-sized U.S. city, there would be big railings / sidewalls to keep all of us potential Darwin award winners from falling off the side.
Writing from Essex County (Newark) New Jersey, where Branch Brook Park is home to over 4300 cherry blossom trees, the largest collection in the United States. We are just starting to see the blooms, should be in peak season in another 5 days or so. Looking forward to sharing the joy!
Essex County Cherry Blossom Photos