Cherry Blossoms Day 4
After a day of rain yesterday, the cherry blossoms on most trees are close to 50% opened. Still, many trees are not even close to 50%, but are more like 20% opened. Many blossoms are still cherries. This weekend, however, should be the perfect time to view cherry blossoms, if the weather holds up. Today, the weather is cool and partly cloudy with occasional showers. It’s a great day to shoot photos of cherry blossoms!
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Cherry Blossoms at Night
One of the best times to view cherry blossoms is at night. The dark background of the night sky and the bright whitish pink flowers make for beautiful snapshots. Many Japanese wander out at night for walks in parks or along walkways to see cherry blossoms as they bloom at night. The night air is cool and crisp. It’s a romantic setting! As of today, the cherry blossoms are opening up, slowly, and about 10% opened. If the air continues to stay cool the way it has the past few days, they...
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I See Pink
Sakura blossoms should be popping out soon! The pink color of the cherry blossoms is already showing. From far away, you can already see pink in the trees. Up close, the blossoms are showing their colors, but none of the blossoms in southern Kyoto have opened…yet. They should open in a few days though. Here are what they look like right now!
Read MoreBuds Beginning to Appear
For most of the world spring comes on March 21st. But for Japan, spring doesn’t arrive until the cherry blossoms do. So in Japan, we have to wait another week or two, but not much longer because the cherry blossom buds are beginning to appear on the trees. Here in the Kansai area of Japan, the cherry blossoms are expected to begin popping out next week. They should be in full bloom by the first week of April. Cherry blossoms, or sakura as they are called in Japanese, can be viewed...
Read MoreCherry Blossoms in Full Bloom
This year’s cherry blossom season in the Osaka – Kyoto area is right on schedule. The projected time they should be in full bloom is between the last week of March and the first week of April. The rain is falling and warm air has already made its presence. Soon the buds will be popping their way out. From that point, it is only a matter of weeks before they are completely blossomed in all their pink glory. For more information and a daily update on the blossoms, visit KansaiGaijin...
Read MoreTsugaru Shamisen
The Shamisen is a traditional three-string guitar-like instrument, but with a generally much slimmer longer fretless neck than the guitar. The body of the shamisen varies in shape and size, often shaped similar to a drum, rounded but shallow, and is covered with skin on the front and back, traditionally cat or dog. The strings are usually made of silk, but these days nylon is often used on cheaper models. The sound it produces is a unique twang similar to a banjo. If you would like to hear a...
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