Sakura Sakura

Cherry blossom.

Spring has arrived, and flowers are blossoming everywhere in London. One of the most spectacular sights is undoubtedly sakura, the Japanese ornamental cherry trees.

They remind me of the times I was living in Tokyo. The Japanese has a particular admiration of these flowers, and every April they would hold hanami — loosely translates to flower viewing — and picnic with friends under sakura trees. The ancient poets and literati back in the Heian period explained their adoration: the fleetingness of sakura is somewhat bitterly sweet and beautiful, and its impermanence is ultimately a big part of the allure.

Budding.

Some of the larger parks like the Kew Gardens and Kensington Gardens have clusters of sakura trees and are probably the best place to see them, but these beautiful trees can be spotted all over London so there's little reason to miss them. I dropped by my local park in Islington (Highbury Fields) last week and had plenty fun snapping these fleeting flowers. The trees have yet to reach in their full bloom glory; I am guessing maybe in a week or two these trees will be showering sakura.

In terms of style these images were designed to have very little shadow/dark areas and the global contrast is comparatively low. Colour wise they are vivid but natural and they remain reasonably faithful to the original tones.

So what are you waiting? Head out and marvel at these beauties!

New Flowers.

Life.

Highbury Fields.