Last lot of sakura pictures this year, I swear


14th May 2010


Once a walled-off enclave for court nobles, the rectangular piece of land in the centre of Kyoto city is today a public park.

The palace where the emperor used to live before moving to Tokyo is still there though, on most days of the year, you need to apply for permission before you can enter the compound.

But the rest of the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden is open to all and it has become a popular spot with residents, who play sports, walk their dogs, bird-watch or take their children there.

And when the cherry trees bloom, it's full-on picnic season.




Yamazakura (山桜) in full bloom. Unlike the more common Somei Yoshino, the Yamazakura puts out leaves and flowers at the same time.

















When it comes to dating, age is no barrier.
















Neither is species.





This Kyoto resident has a gimpy back leg; he doesn't walk so much as limp and hop. But given how well the rest of him looks, I don't think it matters to the people he lives with.





Winner of the Most Troublesome-Looking Picnic Award. Admittedly no portable karaoke machine or barbecue grill but lots of points for bringing glasses, ceramic sake flasks, actual sake cups (!) and jubako (stack of lacquered boxes), which increases the likelihood that the food was prepared at home, rather than raided from the nearest convenience store.





Sakura in a high wind.





Not everyone's interested in flowers. Here, a boy demonstrates how to uncover the secrets of the universe with a stick.





Sumo-wrestling In The Park, With Dog

















Sunday In The Park, With Sakura