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logo

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • THE FAMILY ALBUM
  • ONCE UPON A TIME IN ROMANIA
    • ▸Bucharest, 1989: The days of Revolution
    • ▸I’ve also lived under communism
    • ▸Portraits of transition
    • ▸”Cabernet cu pepsi”
    • ▸Romania, 1990: Beyond the headlines
    • ▸“Mineriada” – My story
    • ▸Memorial of pain
  • WORK IN PROGRESS
    • ▸Barbershop
    • ▸Melancholic Identities
    • ▸Faces
    • ▸Fragmentary world
    • ▸Two
    • ▸Buddhist monks
    • ▸About windows and walls
    • ▸Mediterraneo
  • STORIES
    • ▸Alone, together
    • ▸Life and death in Varanasi
    • ▸Trans-Siberian – An experience of becoming
    • ▸Boxing in Havana
    • ▸Moving out of Escobar shadow
    • ▸One night at Htee Thein monastery
    • ▸Easter in Sicily – I misteri
    • ▸Easter in Sicily – La pasquetta
    • ▸Stalin’s Museum in Gori
    • ▸Havana: Between magic and decay
    • ▸Muay Thai for a day
    • ▸Cuban billboards
    • ▸Seeking a geisha
    • ▸Belfast’s murals: Behind and beyond
    • ▸Riding the Yangon’s ring train
    • ▸Bazar-Barakholka-Vernisazh
    • ▸An unexpected trip to Dhobi Ghat
    • ▸A different way to look at death
    • ▸Cannes under siege
    • ▸Inside the Guru’s kitchen
    • ▸Tibetan refugees
    • ▸The Golden Triangle: A Mecca of tribal diversity
    • ▸Bullfighting: Barbaric or art ?
    • ▸Crafts and traditions in Morroco
    • ▸Glastonbury with God
  • TRAVEL
    • Cuba
      • ▸The show must go on (part 1)
      • ▸The show must go on (part 2)
      • ▸The show must go on (part 3)
      • ▸The show must go on (part 4)
    • France
      • ▸Paris
      • ▸Paris. Again
    • Greece
      • ▸Mount Athos
      • ▸Postcards from Santorini
      • ▸Athens
      • ▸Mykonos – The picture-perfect Island
    • Germany
      • ▸Berlin
    • Vietnam
      • ▸Four days in Hanoi
      • ▸Cruising through the misty Halong Bay
    • India
      • ▸Portraits of Kashmir
      • ▸Rishikesh – Spiritual marketplace
      • ▸Life on the Sidewalk
    • Ireland
      • ▸The capital of pubs
      • ▸Ireland in ten days
    • Israel
      • ▸Israel in black & white
    • Colombia
      • ▸Colombia
      • ▸Paisas, coffee and much more
      • ▸Streets of Bogota – From Dystopia to Hope
      • ▸Life along the magical Magdalena River
      • ▸A non-touristy guide to Cartagena’s Caribbean paradise
    • Myanmar
      • ▸Min-ga-la-ba Myanmar
      • ▸Up and down on the hills of Shan State
    • Japan
      • ▸Tokyo
      • ▸Springtime in Kyoto
    • Portugal
      • ▸Life at the edge of Europe
    • Russian Federation
      • ▸The unexpected Moscow
      • ▸White Nights in St. Petersburg
    • Italy
      • ▸Rome
      • ▸Random Sicily
      • ▸Vedi Napoli e poi mori
      • ▸Venice
      • ▸Vanishing Venice
    • Morocco
      • ▸Sunset, camel rides and tea in Erg Chebi
      • ▸Medinas: Morocco’s hidden cities
      • ▸Morocco outskirts
      • ▸Djemaa El Fna encounters
      • ▸Surf and hippies
      • ▸The road of the One thousand kasbahs
      • ▸Amazigh – Berber – Free men
    • Georgia
      • ▸Postcards from Georgia
      • ▸The Many Faces of Tbilisi
    • Nepal
      • ▸Kathmandu Valley
    • Romania
      • ▸Romania to go
      • ▸Maramures
      • ▸Tara Motilor
    • Jordan
      • ▸Bedouin Trails
    • Turkey
      • ▸From Turkey with love
      • ▸Ballooning Cappadocia
      • ▸Where East meets West
      • ▸Street life, Istanbul-style
    • Mexico
      • ▸Finding Mexico City
    • Malaysia
      • ▸Transit KL
    • UK
      • ▸London
      • ▸Grab your kilt and bring your pipes
    • Sweden
      • ▸Stockholm
    • Spain
      • ▸Off-season Andalusia
    • Thailand
      • ▸Bangkok, year 2555
      • ▸Life in Pai
      • ▸Thailand
    • Laos
      • ▸Luang Prabang – The City of ultimate Zen
    • Poland
      • ▸Why I love Poland
    • Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania
      • ▸Neighbors, but not relatives
      • ▸Patarei – A little slice of Hell
    • Findland
      • ▸A sunny day in Helsinki
    • Denmark
      • ▸Copenhagen
  • SINGLES
  • CONTACT
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Springtime in Kyoto

 

The cherry blossom (sakura in Japanese) is the national flower of Japan and permeates deeply many aspects of Japanese culture. Japanese believe that the blooming of the trees symbolizes the transience of life itself. Observing the trees sprouting flowers each spring is a national celebration called “hanami” which entails picnics and drinking with old friends under the cherry trees.

The blossoms come out in stages, with each phase considered remarkable for its own reasons. The newspapers run front page stories covering the major cherry blossom festivals. The bloom is even reported on news bulletins alongside the weather report so that you know exactly what the forecast for the blossoms in each part of Japan is.

During the “sakura” season, the cultural heart and soul of Japan is Kyoto – the former imperial capital. The whole city is transformed by lovely clouds of pink blossoms, and throngs of revelers gather to eat, drink and sing. Illuminated by spotlights and festive garden lanterns, the trees shine like a pink explosion in the middle of a sea of people. While photographers are trying to capture the fleeting flowers, dozens of young girls dressed in kimonos and pink dresses pull down low-hanging branches to frame their faces for the perfect portrait.

Due to the way that they blossom in spring, the “sakura” concept has become the Japanese symbol for the season and its associations such as new beginnings and young love. Spring carries the promise of renewal everywhere, yet in Japan, the cherry blossoms are also a reminder of the fleeting nature of life.

 

 

 

 

 

Springtime in Kyoto

 

The cherry blossom (sakura in Japanese) is the national flower of Japan and permeates deeply many aspects of Japanese culture. Japanese believe that the blooming of the trees symbolizes the transience of life itself. Observing the trees sprouting flowers each spring is a national celebration called “hanami” which entails picnics and drinking with old friends under the cherry trees.

The blossoms come out in stages, with each phase considered remarkable for its own reasons. The newspapers run front page stories covering the major cherry blossom festivals. The bloom is even reported on news bulletins alongside the weather report so that you know exactly what the forecast for the blossoms in each part of Japan is.

During the “sakura” season, the cultural heart and soul of Japan is Kyoto – the former imperial capital. The whole city is transformed by lovely clouds of pink blossoms, and throngs of revelers gather to eat, drink and sing. Illuminated by spotlights and festive garden lanterns, the trees shine like a pink explosion in the middle of a sea of people. While photographers are trying to capture the fleeting flowers, dozens of young girls dressed in kimonos and pink dresses pull down low-hanging branches to frame their faces for the perfect portrait.

Due to the way that they blossom in spring, the “sakura” concept has become the Japanese symbol for the season and its associations such as new beginnings and young love. Spring carries the promise of renewal everywhere, yet in Japan, the cherry blossoms are also a reminder of the fleeting nature of life.

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