This year I took a bus tour to see the cherry blossoms (
sakura) in Tokyo. It was a beautiful day and the flowers were at their peak. Many people were enjoying
hanami (flower viewing), which typically involves lounging on blue tarps and eating and drinking under the trees...with lots and lots of other people!
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Sumida Koen |
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Weeping sakura (shidarezakura) |
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Skytree and Sumida River |
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The most popular place for hanami in Tokyo - Ueno Koen |
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Hanami time |
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Awesome setup with shoe cubbies and everything! |
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Kaneiji Temple |
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Unusual tree from Kyoto with single/double flowers within the temple grounds |
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Jizō statues at Zojyoji Temple at the base of the Tokyo Tower
The next set of pictures are from our neighborhood, Sakuragaoka (which literally means "cherry blossom hill"). This year the trees started blooming March 25 and now they are all falling
down. In general, the blossoms only last two weeks or less.
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Hashi with the sakura in full bloom at a park by our house |
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Sakura falling |
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The lanterns are lit up at night |
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Yozakura - "night sakura" |
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This is the best my camera can do at night |
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We walk around this ravine every day |
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Tokyo skyline with the Skytree way across the bay from our house |
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Yaezakura - sakura with more than 5 petals |
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Looking down the hill towards our house |