Monday, April 26

Before the last Sakura petal falls…

...Gil used to experience Sakura season during his previous Japan assignments and just before the last cherry blossom petal falls, he wanted to share some of his precious photographs along with this article which he written himself as he reminisce the experience beneath the Sakura.

Two years had passed since I last saw the astounding beauty of cherry blossom also known as “Sakura” in Owariasahi City, Aichi, Japan. And it still brings back the wonderful memory.

Cherry Blossom Up-close:





Strange, I only have two pictures of Cherry Blossom way back year 2004. Maybe I was still in awe during my early stay in Japan that I forgot to bring home with me some nice pictures. (The other pictures posted here were taken in year 2008)

My first picture of Cherry Blossom
This small shrine is located near the dormitory where I stay

Depending on the climate and location, the flowers of Sakura bloom as early as January on the southern part of Japan while on the northern part it bloom as late as May. Along the riverbank in Ibaraki Prefecture (a 2-hours bus ride from Tokyo) where I work, the Cherry Blossom starts to bloom mid-March.

Shiroyama Park, Owariasahi City

The short life cycle of Sakura flowers has been associated with nature of life. It takes about a week for all the flowers to its full bloom and another week until all the petals fall to ground. Strong wind and rain may even shorten this period. For this reason, Japanese and tourists pay attention to when is the best possible viewing days.

Underneath the Tree...



It is customary for the Japanese to hold a flower-viewing party under the Cherry Blossom. The comfortable ambience and the unique contrast of colors (pale pink flowers and brown branches) of this tree not only provide shelter to its guests but also relaxation and enjoyment.





I am not familiar with the varieties of Cherry Blossom as they all look the same to me. Others maybe taller and wider, but once I am underneath and watching the petals as they fall to the ground or touch my skin, the feeling is really indescribable.

Skyward Asahi tower at the back- an astronomical observatory

The start of Sakura signifies the end of winter and the start of spring. Just before the spring ends signals my arrival to Japan from last year onwards since I requested the change of schedule from March-July to July-November so I may spend time with Michelle on her birthday, a more important event of course than my favorite Sakura season.

...As I hope to witness Sakura with her the next time around.

17 comments:

mishi said...

aaaww!hehe! Di ko alam kung magi-guilty ako or matutuwa eh haha!;) Nice zeb, never thought seryoso ka bout this Sakura entry.Galing galing! More posts ah? yabyu! Hugs! ;)

kg said...

wow! guest post pala eto! nice!

i dream of seeing cherry blossoms, kahit saan, sa korea, sa japan, sa US, o kung saan man. the problem is, mabilis nga lang ang season nila. haay, kelan kaya eto!!!

princess_dyanie said...

wow may guest blog ka hehe! ako rin gusto ko ng sakura kahit sa korea lang haha

Arvin U. de la Peña said...

galing naman..sakura..parang may palabas dati sa tv na ang pamagat ay sakura..ewan kung tama ako..anime iyon..

Chyng said...

kaiiggit, gusto ko din makapunta ng japan, kaso mahal!!!!

Kayni said...

the photos are so beautiful...and the post is very sweet. i like this part the most "so I may spend time with Michelle on her birthday, a more important event of course than my favorite Sakura season."

GIL said...

@ mishi

Thanks zeb sa opportunity na makapag-post sa blog mo...
Na-miss ko lang siguro ang sakura kaya nakagawa ako ng article. =)
But don't feel guilty, okay lang na na-missed ko 'to kaysa naman ikaw ang ma-miss ko.. ;) I love you too!

phoebe said...

"But don't feel guilty, okay lang na na-missed ko 'to kaysa naman ikaw ang ma-miss ko.. ;) I love you too!"

awww, ang keso naman.hahah in fairness kinilig naman ako dun.haha Love your entry,Gil! And the pictures are just beautiful. You should post from time to time :)

MomRizza said...

mishi! sweet naman ng zeb mo :) bagay kayo!

mishi said...

@kg,
thanks kg! I also wish the same hehe! :)

@dyanie,
it was a surprised actually. He just thought of uploading one since patapos na season ng sakura sa japan.

@arvin,
parang, di ako mahilig sa anime eh. Will ask him hehe!

@chyng,
keri mo na un chyng, kaw pa!Mga 100k lng ata show money pag tourist pero mahal fares, foods & everything else. :)

@kayni,
thanks! He's always like that. Haba ng hair ko haha! :)

@gil,
enuf! iloveyou more! :)

@ate pheng,
this blog nmn actually is OURS.Now lng sya nainspire to write one! haha!(proud gf!)He has a lot to write nmn actually than me.Thanks sa pagdalaw. Namiss kita! Mwuah! :)

@mom rizza,
He is! :) Thanks rizza sa pagdalaw!

GIL said...

@ kg
Thanks for the comment.
Gusto ko pa rin makita ang cherry blossom. =)

GIL said...

@ dyanie
Thanks for the comment.
Plan din namin ni mishi mgpunta sa korea (pero malabo pa magyari) kahit dun man lang masaksihan namin dalawa ang cherry blossom. =)

gil said...

@ arvin
madalas nga gamitin ng mga manga artist ang name na sakura...kagaya nung mahal ni naruto..si haruno sakura =)
Thanks for dropping by...

gil said...

@ chyng
dream ko talaga makapunta ng japan nung highskul pa 'ko. impluwensya ng mga anime sa tv. kya thankful ako kasi ngkaroon ako ng chance kht wala akong pera hehe.
Thanks for reading...

gil said...

@ phoebe

Thanks sa pagdalaw sa blog ni mishi.
Siguro minsan try ko mg-post, pro ok na sakin mg-maintain ng blog.
Have a nice day!

Calvin said...

one of the places i want to visit in my lifetime. Japan with Sakura. Ganda ng mga photos. Ganda ng place.

caryn said...

sakura season is indeed fleeting. hehehe. very nice photos! in tokyo, i can hardly get a good one with all those blue mats ;-)

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