Sakura and Snow

Still sharing the Snow and Sakura joy.

Snow and Sakura

The first real snow fall for winter - even though it is Spring -   today in Tokyo at the end of March.   A magical walk in Kinuta Park this afternoon.

Sunday Kimono. 21 Wedding Guests

Sunday Kimono 20 - Mauve

A stylish older woman in a mauve kimono strolling through the gardens at Nezu Museum when I visited in the winter.

Perfect Sakura

Perfect and peak blossom on this Sakura in Ueno Park.

Sakura at the Shogun's Shrine

Today I visite Ueno Park, one of the most spacious parks in Tokyo and location of several shrines and hundreds of Sakura trees. (There is a Sakura map to help located the trees and differentiate the species and you can't touch the flowers).

The avenue to the shrine for a major Edo period shogun was lined with blossoming trees - truly beautiful.

Wikipedia tells us 

Ueno Tōshō-gū is a Tōshō-gū Shinto shrine located in the Taitō ward of Tokyo, Japan. First established in 1627 by Tōdō Takatora and renovated in 1651 by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the shrine remains mostly intact since that time, making it a great example of Shinto architecture in the Edo period.

Hellebores and Fuji-san

Mt Fuji with some claret Hellebores in the foreground.

Fuji San

Fuji-san as seen on my cycle around Lake Kawaguchi on Saturday.  A majestic and mystical mountain.

Sunday Kimono 19 - Gingko and Kimono

A photo from late autumn.  This may be a wedding photo shoot for a young couple at the shrine in Todoroki gorge.  Her kimono is intricate, but also many layered and heavy.

This shrine is the place with the winter gingkos from the post on Monday.

Dinner with a view

Hacienda del Sol - House in the sky, a Mexican restaurant in Daikanyama with a great view over Tokyo.  I had a wonderful evening on Wednesday night (no lockdown yet) with my college counsellor colleagues from other international schools in Tokyo  - Yokahama International School YIS, St Mary's International School SMIS and International School of the Sacred Heart ISSH.  Great tacos, lovely company and amazing margaritas and a crane view. 

Cherry Blossoms

And so it starts.  Not sure what type of cherry this is, (or if it is a cherry blossom???) but these vibrant pink blossoms at a shrine in Tokoroki gorge show the season has started. An early variety different from the Sakura planted on masse in Tokyo, but still gorgeous.

Plum Blossom

Beautiful plum blossom at Hanegi park, last month, where plum blossoms (ume) were being celebrated in the Setagaya plum blossom festival.  Preparation for  Sakura season.

The Neighbourhood - Lien de Sazaesan

Another link to Sazaesan in Sakurashinmachi.  This cafe specializes in small pancakes decorated with images from Sazaesan manga.

Winter Ginkgo

My obsession with ginkos continues into the winter.  No bright yellow but still majestic trees.  These are at the shrine where I took yesterday's wedding kimono photos.

These photos show  the trees back in autumn.

Added in a video to show the snow/sleet on Saturday afternoon.

Sunday Kimono 18 - Wedding Photos

 Wedding photo time in the fall at a shrine in Todoroki gorge. Uchikake are colourful outer garments, usually in bright colours, red or orange like this and worn for photos and after the wedding ceremony at the reception.

White Magnolia

Winter white.  White magnolia flowers are blooming in the neighbourhood.  This tree at riverside shrine was elegant in the sunshine last Friday.

White Poles

This image evokes ideas of Jackson Pollock and Blue Poles.  What do you think?  Splattering of snow instead of paint? White poles?

Black and white in the snow

 

Walking through a forest of deciduous trees - larch- in the snow is so different from a walk in the snow at home. The black and white contrast and the detail in the branches and bark is beautiful.

Snow and Waterfall

 

Two more photos of Shirato Falls at Karuizawa.  

A cold but exhilarating walk along a trail through fresh snow to reach the falls felt rewarding, but I was happy to hop on the bus back to town.  Love Japan - the 12.28 bus arrived at 12.28 and there is a bus on a Sunday, even in a relatively remote location!

Shirato Falls - Waterfall of White Thread

No river feeds into Shirato Falls near Karuizawa, instead they are fed by ground water from the base of the volcanic Mt Asama.  The falls are in two stages, with the top falls being 3m high but in a curve of 70m.  They looked great steaming on winters day, I don't think I have ever visited a waterfall in the snow before.  The falls, their locattion and the walk to them would be spectacular with the lush greenness of summer of the colours of autumn in the surrounding larch trees.

Sunday Kimono 17 - River of Fabric

Another photo of kimono fabric in the River Gallery at Nakai at the Some no Komichi festival.  Stencils are used to design the concrete river banks.

Okusu - A 2000 year old tree

Last Sunday I visited Atami and the Kinomiya Shrine where there is a designated monument, a sacred tree called "Okusu" which is more than 2000 years old. Amazing to think the times the tree has lived through - if only it could speak.

The Neighbourhood - Narrow Streets

The narrow streets of Sakurashinmachi and similar Tokyo neighbourhoods are quaint and cute, as are the small trucks and vans that are also cute.  The drivers are incredibly polite and patient, waiting for you as a pedestrian or cyclist and bowing to you when you step aside to give way and let them have the road.

The Neighbourhood - A Eucalypt

The juxtaposition of old and new in one block always amazes me as I wander the neighbourhood streets.  This is a typical street scene - look closely for an Australian surprise in the middle of the photo.

Australian plants are popular at the local nursery too and in some other neighbourhood gardens.

Hardenbergia - commonly known as sarsaopilla seems to be a popular climber and wattles known here as mimosa are also a common garden plant.

Tuesday Travel Tips 4.

Not sure what the message is here.  Looks like martial arts.

Shibori

Shibori is a Japanese form of tie dyeing that  I love for its intricacy and because it is often used with indigo.  The Shibori section of the Some no Komochi festival last week,  along the Myoshoji River were my favourite.