One of my first posts a few years ago – The Ugliness of Japanese Cherry-Blossom Viewing – encapsulated my opinion of the common cherry-blossom viewing experience in Japan, so I never would have imagined how wonderful it was this past weekend around here, despite the crowds. In fact, as I wrote in Cherry-Blossom Joie de Vivre in Kyoto, the sense of enjoyment was actually heightened by the crowds, a sort of beneficial mob mentality that kept a smile on everyone's face, as if we were all let in on some kind of beautiful secret that bound us together.

It wasn't enjoyable for everyone all the time, of course. It was decidedly unfun if you had to drive (which I didn't).

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 190 mm — ¹/1500 sec, f/4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Traffic Waits Along Nioomon St

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — ¹/3200 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Waiting To Enter an Underground Garage

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/160 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Some Found Ways To Enjoy Despite the Traffic
Rickshaw Ride in Kyoto, Japan

It also wasn't fun if you encountered one of the (surprisingly few) assholes with a cigarette.

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — ¹/350 sec, f/7.1, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Inconsiderate Jerk

It probably also wasn't fun if you were stuck inside working, washing dishes at a cafe....

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Enjoying Lunch on the Terrace
and dirtying a lot of dishes

It was also decidedly unfun if you visited a convenience store nearby, because inside the crowds were oppressive, like what one hears of rush-hour trains in Tokyo. I stopped by the local 7-11 on Saturday morning, and was shocked how crowded it was. You couldn't walk while inside; the best you could do was shuffle or waddle. This, despite the store having set up some registers and stands in the parking lot to directly sell the most common things (bento lunches, bottled tea, etc.), taking pressure off the crowds inside.

I was chatting with the owner today as I picked some ice coffee, and commented about the crowds. He said that on Saturday, out of the 12,000 7-11s in the country, his was ranked #3 (in sales, I assume). Wow.

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Well, I haven't been able to find my cell phone since returning from Amami last week, so I've got to bite the bullet and get another.

It turns out that my provider, Au, really doesn't offer any benefit for having been with them for the last four years, so it's just as easy for me to start fresh with someone else as it is to get another phone with them. So, anyone in Japan have any suggestions for a phone/provider for someone like me who uses a cell phone only occasionally, and never uses web access or 99% of the other features, to tide me over until the iPhone arrives?

Adobe has re-released the troubled Lightroom 1.4 now as a (hopefully) untroubled Lightroom 1.4.1. Links are here.

I must have overexerted myself yesterday with the cherry blossoms at the old Imperial Palace, because my cold seems to be getting worse again today. Sigh.

Anthony started his final year of preschool earlier this week, comparable to kindergarten in The States. Dropping him off on the first day, I noticed a beautiful tree lush with deep pink blossoms of some sort....

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 102 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/4, ISO 500 — map & image data — nearby photos
Kindergarten Blossoms

However, upon close inspection, it turned out that the day of rain Kyoto had just after full bloom in my area had left the blossoms on this tree looking downright ratty...

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 120 mm — ¹/180 sec, f/7.1, ISO 800 — map & image data — nearby photos
Not So Pretty Up Close
disheveled and a bit nasty

However, the carpet of rain-flattened blossoms did look nice in its pink lushness....

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/4.5, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Carpet of Pink

I'd brought my camera along to see whether I might find anything interesting on the ride back home, but the weather didn't make it very productive. There were no clouds, but there was also no sky. It was just a very blotchy, indistinct haze that was usually so heavy that you could comfortably stare at the sun.

But the haze sort of thinned for a bit, which made this shot of some of the blossoms along the Takano river a bit nicer. The blossoms run up and down this and the Kamo river for miles; this particular location is about a mile an a half north of my place.

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 95 mm — ¹/250 sec, f/10, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Takano River Riverside
Kyoto, Japan

Unrelated to the above, but still botanical, here is a shot of a ginkgo tree along Higashioji Street. The city strips these trees bare in the fall so that they don't have to clean up the prodigious amount of yellow leaves they would otherwise shed (see the first picture on this post)), and as you can see here, this tree has woken up from winter's nap and started growing again...

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 130 mm — ¹/3200 sec, f/4, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Early Riser

However, the odd thing is that it's quite isolated; all its compatriots are still utterly bare; here's the tree right next to it....

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — ¹/5000 sec, f/4, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Still Enjoying Winter's Long Slumber

Actually, I guess it's awake because all the thin shoots have grown, but they're all quite far behind the one early-riser.

(Clearly, my cold has left me without the energy to create an interesting post. Sorry.)

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Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 140 mm — ¹/180 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Hanami at The Old Imperial Palace
Kyoto, Japan

Of course, I was somewhat exaggerating with my previous post, Just Like That, Kyoto's Cherry-Blossom Season Ends, because cherry-blossom season doesn't end the day after full bloom any more than blowing out the first candle on a cake ends a birthday party. The weather – very strong haze and occasional rain – isn't nearly as nice as the weekend was, but there's still plenty of Cherry-Blossom Joie de Vivre left in Kyoto.

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — ¹/640 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Gauntlet of Pink

I realized this morning that I'd neglected to revisit the trees on the grounds of the Old Imperial Palace that were featured in a post three weeks ago completely bare and forlorn looking, so I decided to take a bicycle ride with Anthony over to check it out today.

The main tree in the first photo of the three-week-ago post was essentially devoid of blossoms, they having budded, bloomed, and fallen in the intervening three weeks...

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 44 mm — ¹/100 sec, f/8, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
Tree #1: All Blossomed Out

The second tree (the “raintree-like” one) was the same, but in that immediate vicinity they stood alone as a different variety from the dozens of other cherry trees that were utterly spectacular.

Right next to the now-bare first one, for example....

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 55 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/6.3, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
Photo Op

The shade of pink was just wonderful, and the atmosphere laid back and thoroughly enjoyable. The haze actually made photography easier, although I could have done with a bit more overall brightness.

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/5, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — ¹/250 sec, f/4, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
Hanami
— traditional cherry-blossom-viewing picnic —

I noticed these gentlemen just as they were clinking their paper cups in “cheers”, but was too slow to capture it. That would have been an excellent shot.

There were plenty of places like this to enjoy the blossoms with a few friends, and feel you had the whole earth to yourself (although I admit to having cloned this image to deemphasize a few heads visible on the other side of the hedge, but for the record, none of the other images on this post have had any cloning).

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 23 mm — ¹/750 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Typical Scene #1

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 31 mm — ¹/350 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Typical Scene #2

Given a bit of maneuvering and patience, it wasn't too hard to get nice scenes without too much human presence (like “Typical Scene #1” above), but in looking over the 197 photos I took, I found that at least for the wide-angle views, I preferred those that include people. It was a nice atmosphere, so I guess I like the photos that reflect that.

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — ¹/125 sec, f/4.5, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Appreciation
we all appreciated the blossoms in our own way

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 @ 22 mm — ¹/400 sec, f/3.2, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Lack of People Works Here

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 190 mm — ¹/160 sec, f/4.5, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Still a Few Buds in Reserve

Blossom petals were falling continuously, but occasionally a gust of wind would whip up a mini blizzard of them. It's quite impossible to capture, but this next shot gives a hint of the tail end of one such squall...

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200 mm — ¹/250 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Winter in Spring

At five years old, Anthony couldn't care less about all this “blossom” stuff. He much preferred showing Nanasa-chan, a classmate from kindergarten whom we happened to run into, the kickstand that was added to his bike earlier this afternoon.

Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70 mm — ¹/200 sec, f/3.5, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
Trying To Impress With His Ride
( when you're five, a kickstand is bling )

Hmmm, I wonder whether any of the shots today would make for a good desktop background, to add to the collection I've posted....

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