Well it is my favorite season again, spring is here and sakura (cherry blossom) is right at its peak now. This time I went to the Yoyogi Park and then to Chidorigafuchi in Tokyo.
I was lucky to bring my tripod along and the night view is simply amazing! The shot above was one of them, no post processing was done to it. That is right off the camera and what I see that night.
Just like any events in Japan, there is like a long queue (really long!) of people lining up just to see the sakura. I go ahead and went the other way around and avoid it.
See the rest of the photos of sakura after the jump..
We started our hanami is Yoyogi Park around late noon and it was already pack with people.
A lone sakura tree in the middle of the lake of Yoyogi Park
The weather was ok, a bit too cloudy and too windy though. Better then rain anytime!
Full bloom sakura against cloudy backdrop
Another full bloom shot
Can you imagine this will be gone in matter of days?!
Too bad it is cloudy though, I want clear blue sky!!
Another cloudy backdrop, no flash, nice depth of field can be seen here 🙂
Here comes night
After this, we switch our place to Chidorigafuchi near to the Budokan.
One of the lighted sakura near the Chidorigafuchi, Tokyo
Mixture of white and pink sakura!
Those lighted sakura near the Chidorigafuchi, Tokyo is really awsome!
This pink is exactly what I saw that night.
On the way out, the light red and white sakura is really nice
xenblog 
Lovely pics. Me didnt get to go at night time.
Thanks, the night view is really nice even though there is a lot of people there. I think next week should be over/last as it is raining throughout the night now 😦
Pretty !! If only I have the time to go for Hanami ! :[
nice night shots there
awesome shots! omedetou~
i hope i can take part at hanami soon, all those past years i missed the sakura blossoms >.< i start to think that i am doomed 🙂
jya~
Wow… Hope I can come over next year on my honeymoon to watch the cherry blossoms 😀
@blauereiter : take a break :), this week is probably going to be the final. But if you did missed it, the Showa Kinen Park in Tachikawa seems to be really nice also. There are famous for their tulip flower and will usually last until June. I might plan to go there this weekend if time permits.
@ornehx: Yeah, those night view was more impressive then what I expected.
@neko: Nah, it is common to missed sakura. They are up and full bloom and drop all within a week or two. Gotta be fast!
@Jonathan: That would be really cool honeymoon, imagine having picnic under all the sakura (if you don’t mind other people). But timing is everything, as I said above. 🙂
I am sitting at my office, looking out at the snow-covered mountains on a sunny, spring morning in western Oregon, U.S.A. As I listened to some music that I played almost every morning while I lived in Japan, I suddenly grew very sabishii, wishing I could enjoy hanami and the many other wonderful things in Japan. Well, I decided to do a quick search for “hanami 2008” and I came across your wonderful pictures. You are very talented in capturing the essence of hanami – thank you so much for sharing!
Now I can return to work, having been refreshed. Next Spring in Japan!!! 🙂
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I happened to Google “hanami 2008” and your blog was the first hit. The photos you took look really nice. I especially like the night ones ^^
Well, I find it extraordinarily interesting
nice blog! i love it very much.
Hope to exchange link with your blog!
aaron, i wish to go there as well!!!!
wow!!! really nice sakura pictures! thanks for sharing and hope i will have the chance to see them in real…
Hi. These are very well captured images showing some unusual and dramatic angles for the best in Sakura. Would you have any objection if I use any of the pictures for making a Sakura theme for my Blackberry? I may also make the theme available for public (free of charge) if it is successful so would like your permission if possible.
@Will: Yeah you can use it for personal use and credit me if made public for the photo. Thanks for letting me know.