First posting of 2019 We had very very dry and rather mild winter this year. In January we had only 16ml of rain and except January 31, it was only 0.5 ml. From the end of last year, we had 20 fine days continued without a drop of rain. Kan-zakura in Koishikawa Botanical Garden started to boom in January and it was 60% bloom on February 2. Kan-zakura on February 2. From middle of February the weather became rather warm. it’s middle of March now, but the weather is like April. The highest temperature of yesterday and today is 17 degree. Now it’s time for Okan-zakura and Okame. Japan Meteorological Bureau said Somei-yoshino would start to bloom on March 20 in Tokyo. It’s earlier than usual but not as early as last year (March 17). Cherry blossom blooming forecast (date of first bloom) - 2019
@eteinindia, hajimemashite. I recently learned of the unexpected blossoming of cherry trees in October of last year due to typhoons: Japan's cherry blossoms in surprise bloom. There's no report from you to cover that time. Does this mean the bloom was not impressive enough to warrant reporting?
@Junglekeeper, hajimemashite. I saw that news on TV and went to Koishikawa Botanical Garden. There also had some crazy blooms. But they weren't attractive. I lost my interest. Also my computer and my camera became wrong condition last Autumn. Crazy bloom of Somei-yoshino became out of date. I took wonderful pictures of Jugatsu-zakuras and coloured leaves, but I was busy and Lazy. They became out of date, too. I bought a new PC and a new camera but still I can’t use it freely. But I’ll try to post more.
It’s already March 30, 2019 today. The sample tree of Somei-yoshino in Tokyo started blooming on March 21 and it became full bloom on March 27. That day one in Osaka started to bloom. Somei-yoshinos around my area are nearly full bloom. I’m sorry I haven’t posted any cherry pictures yet. I have already visited many cherries and took many photos in February and early March but I couldn’t post immediately. Although they became out of date, I wanted to post them. I thought to keep writing until I could catch up, but I couldn’t. Now peek cherry time started. So I gave up catching the date and post things I took February and March. Before them I’d like to post pictures of unexpected blooms of last October @Junglekeeper asked because of severe typhoons. I found them in my broken camera. They were taken on October 23, 2018 at Koishikawa Botanical Garden. At least 3 cherry trees had a few flowers then. Not only cherries but spring blooming Japanese azaleas had crazy blooms. They were more beautiful. After Koishikawa Botanical Garden, I visited Showa Memorial Park in Tachikawa, Tokyo. There are about 1500 cherry trees there. At that time many parks had creasy blooms. But there I couldn’t find. In stead of cherry blossom, I saw severe damages of typhoons and people came to see beautiful cosmoses blooming there. Cosmos in Chinese character is “秋桜”. It means autumn cherry.
February 21, 2019, Higo-Hosokawa Park It was a warm nice day, I went to Higo-Hosokawa Garden to check early blooming cherries on February 21, 2019. The garden was recently improved and the name changed. It locates in bunkyo-ku, the city where I live but I hadn’t been there after the improvement. The park locates by the Kanda River which is very famous for Somei-yoshino. There were a few Kawazu-zakura just started blooming on the path to the garden. There Mumes were blooming, some were at the peek bloom and some after the peek bloom. The garden and the old house called Shouseikaku were much nicer than before. Trees had Yuki-tsuri; ropes stretched from the top of a tree to the lower branches to prevent their breaking under heavy snow, and looked nice. But unfortunately, the pond didn’t have any water for clean-up. Also they didn’t add early blooming cherries to the garden. Mumes were blooming and a couple was taking wedding photos there. On the way to the garden there was a historical house of Bashio Matsuo. He is a famous Haiku poet of Edo period. There also is a hotel called Chinzan-so. It has a nice garden with many kinds of cherries. There also Kawazu-zakuras were started blooming.
Thanks for posting the photos. The scene in the park looks more like one of a field of wildflowers in summer. And that's quite a crowd.
March 5, 2019, Satomi Park On March 5, I visited Satomi Park in Ichikawa, Chiba. It’s a local park near my mother’s. There were 6 Kawazu-zakura almost full bloom. It was a warm fine day. Mumes were beautiful and local people were enjoying an early spring day.
Google TranslateMarch 8, 2019, Miura Coast A few years ago I saw a beautiful sight with Kawazu-zakura, daffodil, cliff and sea on TV. I thought it was Miura Coast and I hoped to visit there in Kawazu-zakura season, end of February but I couldn’t. This year I saw an information that cherry blossom festival of Miura Coast was extended to March 10. March 8 was a beautiful warm day, so I decided to visit there. Soon after I arrived at Miura-kaigan station; kaigan means coast in Japanese, I had a disappointment. There were food stalls of the festival but Kawazu-zakuras were after the peek bloom and some were finishing. After about 5 minutes’ walk from the station, one line of Kawazu-zakura and rape flowers beneath them continues about 1 kilo. It would have been very beautiful if Kawazu-zakuras were in good condition. After them there was a block of Okan-zakura just started blooming and Kanhi-zakura blooming. There were somei-yoshinos not blooming yet. They were bigger than others. Anyway, there wasn’t any cliff and sea. I mistook the place. I have to search that beautiful sight for next year.
March 10, Ueno Park My husband and I had a lunch with his friends at a restaurant in Ueno park. It wasn’t fine day and It was too early for Somei-yoshino but there were many people. I thought more than half of them are foreigner, mostly from Asia. There was a Kawazu-zakura tree after the peak bloom. Okan-zakuras were at the peak bloom.
March 11, 2019, Okame near by I found a small Okame tree at the entrance of a condo near my place. It was a very small tree planted in a very small flowerbed with plenty of flowers. It can’t be big, but people there wanted have a cherry tree there.
March 18, 2019, Bicycle ride from Hakusan to Ueno Park It was a warm beautiful day. I thought to ride my electric bike to the other side of Ueno Park. First I found a full bloom cherry tree near another exit of Hakusan Station. It’s became under the shade at that time, so I couldn’t take good picture of it. I think I haven’t post it and it is Okame-zakura fully bloomed. Then I found an accolade just started blooming at the entrance of kindergarten in Yanaka. Yanaka is famous for a cemetery and many temples. The kindergarten also belongs to a temple. There are many old style houses and nece shops , so Yanaka area becomes popular a walk nowadays. It was the first accolade tree blooming after I came back to Japan. It is said that accolade in Japan blooms twice in Spring and Autumn. I know there is one in Roppongi, but it wasn’t blooming when I visited there. This accolade locates just 15 minutes ride of bike, I thought I would visit again the next week. Then I found two cherries blooming at the back yard of an old house which was now used as a public hall. One was Keio-zakura which also had a name card, but I couldn’t identify the other one and it didn’t have a name card. For me it looked like something between Kan-zakura and Okan-zakura and also it was rather weeping like some old double cherries became. Then I arrived at the north side of Ueno Park in front of the National Museum. There small Kanhi-zakuras were blooming. There is a garden with early blooming cherries in the National Museum. But unfortunately it was Monday and the museum and the garden were closed.
A friend just sent me this link to an article with a very nice photos from Japan. Japanese cherry blossom in full bloom – in pictures
I thought I posted below on on April 4 with a picture. But it didn’t I don’t know why… “Thank you, Wendy. Those pictures are so beautiful. I think I know most of all the cherries and places where they were taken, but one cherry is very new to me. I checked and found it was the picture taken in China. The color of the flowers is very new to me. They might not be cherries but plums or the cherry which isn’t exist in Japan!! Now it’s already April 4, 2019. We are still enjoying peak bloom of Somei-yoshino in Tokyo. After somei-yoshino became full bloom we are having rather cold weather like warm days in winter. It makes peak bloom longer than usual. “ Now it’s already April 8,2019. We had a few very warm days of over 20 degrees. Now Somei-yoshinos in central part of Tokyo are finishing. But there are still a lot to see in the suburbs I believe.
March 23, 2019, No.1 Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto My cello teacher had a concert at The Symphony Hall in Osaka in the evening of March 23, 2019. On the way to Osaka I dropped at Kyoto to see early blooming cherries. First I visited Fushimi Inari Shrine for the first time. My parents used to visit Fushimi Inari Shrine every year to be given a votive tablet and offer an old one back. After my father passed away, my mother got weak and she asked them to send one. But she can’t visit there and offer old ones back. So I brought them back. Fushimi Inari Shrine is one of the most popular destinations among foreigners traveling Japan. There are Thousands red Torii Gates, or gateways. People donated them when their wishes came true with their name. There are many sized Torii Gates, many large ones and many very small ones. It’s not famous for cherries and Somei-syohinos hadn’t started inKyoto, but one Yae-beni-shidare started beside the main building. Also Yama-zakura was blooming besides stone steps. I found very small cherry was blooming in the garden. I can’t identify it, but I think it’s a kind of Mame-zakura
★March 23 & 24, 2019, Kyoto and Osaka No.2 Sanboin at Daigo-ji Temple After Fushimi Inari Shrine, I visited Daigo-ji Temple. It’s historically famous for Hanami Party of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. He reunified Japan after the age of civil wars in 1590. He had a big Hanami Party in 1598. At that time he planted 700 cherry trees, built Sanboin and its garden, and invited his small san, wife, mistresses and 1300 women working at his castles. Now there are 1000 cherry trees in the temple blooming from mid-March to Mid-April. When I visited Kyoto on March 25, and 26, in 2013 to see early blooming cherries, I forgot to visit there and when I visited Kyoto mid cherry season in 2014, which I couldn’t post because they became out of date, large good Shidare-zakuras were finished. So I wanted to visit this time. But this year Somei-yoshinos in Kansai area were very late. They started blooming on March 27,2019 in Kyoto and Osaka. When I arrived at the gate of the temple, there were only a few people there. Cherries looked not started there. But I could see some blooming ones inside the wall. The precinct of the Temple is divided to 3 parts; Sanboin, Garan; temple buildings and precinct, and Reiho-kan; museum. First I entered Sanboin. There are several large Shidare-zakuras just started blooming. I walked to the end and turned left. There is a nice square with some early blooming cherries. There are some good shaped Shidare-zakuras just started blooming. They said small early blooming cherry trees there were Kawazu-zakura. But I think they are Okan-zakura. Because they didn’t have vivid green leaves. Also the color of the flowers didn’t have tint of orange. I had a bento lunch there. Then I entered the building. There are wonderful Fusuma-pictures; Japanese pictures painted on sliding paper doors. But photos are prohibited. There are nice Japanese garden there.
★March 23 & 24, 2019, Kyoto and Osaka No.3 Garan; temple buildings and precinct in Daigo-ji Temple There were many buildings and a lot of shidare-zakura in Garan. Here Believers contributed cherry trees instead of Torii. Some of them had name cards of contributors. There was a large area where all the trees were cut down. Before cedars were planted at that area. But they were heavily damaged by the typhoon last year and cut down. People there didn’t know what would come in the future.
I took these photos at Nara outside Osaka on March 26, 2019 while on a recent trip there but I’m back in Vancouver now.
These photos are taken at Nakameguro in Tokyo. A lovely place to stroll along the canal and have lunch under the cherry blossoms. April 4, 2019
On April 2, 2019, we went to Ueno Onshi Park in Tokyo. A huge park in Tokyo with many of the city’s most important museums and art galleries. Many people here participating in hanami. Does anyone know the translation for the above sign which goes with the tree above it? The next two photos go together and the sign should identify the tree.
Well using Google Translate, the signs are for somei yoshino (white pink blossoms) and beniyutaka-hongfeng (pink blossoms). The former is common in Japan and can be seen in Metro Vancouver. The latter is not one that is known here (per our 2014 guidebook, Metro Vancouver has 54 of the 300 known varieties of ornamental cherry blossoms; Google has patented dna analysis of many of the different varieties and this seems to be one of them).
You had a wonderful trip to Japan, Dave G.!! Beautiful pictures with blue sky!! This year we had rather long and fine Somei-yoshino season. You must enjoy your trip very much. I live in Tokyo but I haven’t been to Meguro River. It’s one of the most popular Hanami spots nowadays. Also it’s not very far and I hope to visit every year. But now I have nursing of my mother living opposite direction. Next year I will!! You saw Beni-yutaka in Ueno Park (#46). It’s not very common in Tokyo erea. It’s a cherry made by Mr. Asari using seeding of Matsumae-hayazaki in Matusumae ( #104), Hokkaido in 1961. It’s 紅豊 in Chinese character and it means red and abundant. It has vivid pink semi-double flowers. You went Todai-ji Temple in Nara!! I have been there many times but not in good cherry season. In 2015 I visited there to see Nara-no-Yae-zakura; very late blooming cherry from ancient time. The weather wasn’t good and it was too late for Somei-yoshino and too early for Nara-no-yae-zakura. I saw deer line of Yae-beni-shidare just back of Daibutsu-den you took. Deer ate all the lower branches.
March 23 & 24, 2019, Kyoto and Osaka No.4 Museum Garden at Daigo-ji Temple Then I entered Reiho-kan, the Museum. There are some very important Buddhists statures designated as national treasures in the museum. But I didn’t have time to see them well. I just see Large Shidare-zakuras in the Garden. But it was a little too early. 4th & 5th pictures are the same tree from different angles. Then I head to Osaka for the concert and stayed in Osaka.
April 9,2014 ★Daigo-ji Temple just after peak bloom Here I’d like to post old pictures which I couldn’t post. On April 9, 2014, I visited Daigo-ji Temple. At that time Somei-yoshinos in Tokyo were finished before April 6. But when I arrived Kyoto, they were at the peak bloom. In Daigo-ji Somei-yoshinos were just after peak bloom but Shidare-zakuras were finished. Yae-beni-shidares were still beautiful and Hakusan-Ohtemari, double cherry were bery beautiful. Maples and bamboos showed beautiful green then but they were cut down because of the typhoon last year.