From this point on, blossoms will begin dropping their petals.

Saw some cherry blossoms today in Hirakata shedding. Petals were dropping off and blowing in the wind creating the snow effect that many people long to see. The ground was a beautiful mix of brown and whitish pink.

The next stage of cherry blossoms will add more color as the green leaves begin to spring forth. This point of hanami is my favorite. The bright and dark contrasting colors make for excellent photos.

With the warm weather we had during the daytime yesterday and today, the blossoms should open a little faster Monday.

Give the sakura cherry blossoms a few more days and they will be fully blossomed. Cherry blossoms should be 100% by Thursday. By Saturday, the flowers will be falling off creating the beautiful snowing effect.

On my way back to Kyoto, I stopped along the way checking cherry blossoms.

Cherry blossoms in Osaka seem to be opening a bit faster than Kyoto. It didn’t matter if trees were out in the open or hidden behind a building. Trees in the Minoh area of Osaka have a lot more blossoms opened than trees in southern Kyoto.

I would estimate Osaka cherry blossom trees are about 20% open as of today. Kyoto cherry blossom trees are about 5% or less. However, most of the buds on trees in Kyoto are already pink and look like they are all about to pop open in the next day or two.

Expect blooms to be opened more along the 40% level on Saturday in Kyoto. If you want to view trees with more blossoms opened this weekend, Osaka would be the better city to visit.

Heading to Nara to check the cherry blossoms this afternoon! Will report on Nara blossoms later tonight.

One Saturday during hanami, it rained all night Friday then stopped around 8:30am. The sun gradually came out and warmed up enough we could take our jackets off and play in short-sleeved shirts. But that all changed around 1pm. From that point, the air cooled and the clouds began coming in. Soon it began to rain; only a short shower. Then it got sunny again and warmed up. Mind you, it wasn’t as warm as it was earlier in the day. Then clouds came in again and the air cooled. This time, it got chilly. The wind also picked up. Soon it began to rain. But then something surprising happened. It began to hail. Shortly after that, would you believe, it got sunny again!

At this time, it was about 3pm. So the sun was starting to get lower on the horizon. Many people doing their cherry blossom viewing began to go home around 1pm when the first rain came. Those who stayed for the second heavier shower soon began leaving for home in round 2. But then came round 3.

The third wave of clouds brought even colder air and this time ice and snow. It first started sleeting and then snowed. At this point, we finally decided to pack up because it didn’t look like it would clear up this time around.

Thirty minutes later, as we were walking across the bridge to the station, the sun came out again. But then came round 4! By that time, many of us were either in our cars or on the train back home!

Weekend weather during spring is not always like this, but it is unpredictable most on Saturday for some reason. Sundays are a little less dramatic.

As for this weekend, the current forecast is saying sunny Friday night, cloudy Saturday morning.

Rain began to fall yesterday afternoon and continued throughout most of the day today tapering off around 2pm. Temperatures at that time were warm, around 12 degrees Celsius. Shortly thereafter, the winds began to pick up and strong cold air started blowing in.

Tonight, temperatures will be down near freezing as well as tomorrow night. But this shouldn’t deter the already budding cherry blossoms. It might confuse us, but there should be some cherry blossoms bloomed on trees around the Kansai region by this coming weekend.

Trees won’t be mankai, fully-bloomed, but anyone venturing out to parks, shrines or any other place where cherry blossoms are growing will have a good time viewing the beginning of spring Japanese style.

I will make another cherry blossom assessment later at the beginning of this next week starting Monday.

Florally speaking, plum blossoms are the first to bloom. Birds fill the branches as they sip the nectar from the flowers. A few weeks later, cherry blossoms make their presence known. After cherry blossoms (sakura), peach blossoms begin their process. They are somewhat temperamental and bloom depending on winter temperatures, location and spring weather. Iris flowers bloom in late April to early May, while other flowers on the ground begin blossoming out with plum blossoms and continue all the way to the end of summer.

One of the most common flowers visible in spring is the dandelion, tanpopo in Japanese. They add extra color to landscape photos of cherry blossoms, blue picnic tarps and hanami viewers.

Springtime means a break for students. Japanese students are out at the end of March for a week or so while everyone else is busier than usual finishing out the fiscal year before the new one starts in April. Aside from students, the only people who aren’t putting in extra hours at work are the retirees.

If you travel in Japan in spring, you are bound to run across huge groups of elderly and retirees as they are the majority of the tourists visiting parks, museums, shrines, temples and hiking in Japan other than rich Chinese. Practice your Japanese or maybe even some Mandarin before you come for a visit. Elderly are learning English and many other languages. Many love to spark up conversation with foreigners visiting their home country.

The OSAKA Hikari-Renaissance 2011 will be from December 14 (Wed), 2011 to December 25 (Sun). The 9th OSAKA Hikari-Renaissance is a symbol of Aqua Metropolis Osaka. Building the light display is a way to show the energy of Osaka via Nakanoshima, Osaka.

This year, numerous plans have been prepared for the “Central Venue” around Osaka City Central Public Hall and the “East Venue” in Nakanoshima Park. Approximately 460 gingko trees have been decorated along the 1.9km length of Midosuji.

Osaka “Aquarium” Kaiyukan

Osaka “Aquarium” Kaiyukan in the Osaka Port area will be displaying illuminated forms of sharks, dolphins, penguins and other sea creatures. A 22-meter tall tree is illuminated and changes colors every few minutes.

Adding beauty to the light display, a mist fills the air giving off a spectacular atmosphere in the night lights.

Also, a mist blast adds a fantastic atmosphere. The popular rockhopper penguin from Kaiyukan comes to Event Square jumping on the switch to turn it on (approx. for 5 minutes from 17:00) on weekends and holidays until December 25 (Sun). Please come and see him do his stuff.

Eco-Friendly

This year’s illumination events have been created through joint efforts of many people. LED lights and environmentally-friendly sources of electricity are being used this year to conserve energy through lower electricity consumption.

The previous prediction that maple leaves would be ready for viewing unfortunately was incorrect. Maple leaves are still green in many areas around the Kansai region. Some are red. Some are yellow. Finding really bright red maple leaves is getting easier as winter approaches, but they are few and far between.

The better areas to find momiji are in the higher mountain areas or where trees are in direct sunlight.

Good luck finding really red maples! When you do find some, let us know where you found them.

Right now is that time!

As temperatures begin to fall, people are beginning to talk about momiji viewing. It will continue to be the hot topic here in Japan until the last autumn leaves have fallen.

What most people want to know is “Where and when to go?”

Many people go to parks, shrines and temples, while others go to the countryside. Momiji viewing is done individually, as a date with someone you love or as a group. Most people in Japan from now on will be talking about momiji.

Momiji will be the hot topic on this site until sometime in December, just before Christmas. So keep your eyes and ears open. You will find many great places to go momiji viewing, too.

For diehard hanami participants, the rain is actually a blessing. Wet grass and dirt deter many from leaving their homes, which means those who do venture out will not have to beat the crowds to popular cherry blossom places.

So if you are thinking that the rain tonight is going to spoil your cherry blossom viewing tomorrow, you might want to stick to your plan because the sun will come out tomorrow and you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be beautiful anywhere cherry blossoms are blooming.

Tomorrow blossoms will be mankai (fully bloomed) in most places around the Kansai region. Just don’t forget to take a sheet or chair to sit on if you plan to sit and admire the blossoms, or else you may need a change of clothes!