Hanami

It's spring. That means everything is in bloom. Most famously, of course, are the cherry trees (桜). The Japanese have a national obsession with the pale pink flowers. Hanami (花見) literally means to look at flowers, but that single word ensconces a whole culture. Hanami refers to a ritual of spring wherein one sits unders cherry trees admiring the beauty of nature. Alcohol is usually involved. Cherry blossoms fall from the tree only a week or two after opening, meaning they fall in a pristine unwithered state, which has great poetic appeal.

Anyhow, with that in mind, I decided I had to get a few pictures. I mean, I pass cherry trees everywhere I go. However, I've been pretty busy this year, so I didn't make it to any parks or shrines or other recommended Hanami sites, and Omuta is not the most photogenic city. While the cherry blossoms are lovely, my choice of backgrounds ranged from rusted out cars to garbage heaps to construction sites to stucco buildings very close in color to the blossoms. After two weeks of carrying my camera with me everywhere, here is the best of the bunch.


And here's a picture of a Japanese magnolia, cause it was, you know, pretty.


I'll be glad when these marvels of nature stop dropping their pollen everywhere.