Sakura

Continuing where we left off with the photos taken at the Japanese garden, will now showcase the photos of the blooming cherry blossoms, also called sakura (桜 or さくら) in Japanese.

Hanami (花見 or はなみ) is the Japanese tradition of enjoying a day out, having a party while watching the cherry blossoms.

Considering my interest in photography and Japanese culture, what could be better than spending a fun day, admiring the blossoms, relaxing and snapping a few photos while there?

Adore making shots with lots of bokeh like the photo seen above. Had spotted a smaller tree with low branches, an ideal candidate for such a composition.

The Japanese garden features a section with lots of tables and benches under the shade surrounded by many cherry trees, ideal for a picnic. A shame it was a tad too cold to really sit there lounging for a long time the day I went.

Always tempted to sit or lie down on the grass beneath the trees, but don’t think that’s allowed there, unfortunately.

Was a sight to behold when a gust of wind came and picked up many of the fallen petals, creating a scene that looked as if taken straight out of any anime or movie.

A shot of a low branch overhanging one of the first ponds in the garden. Do like the contrast between the foreground blossoms and the out of focus background of the koi fish swimming in the pond.

What struck me more this year is how the petals have a definite color difference as you walk through the garden.

Near the entrance, most will be pure white and as you walk towards the rear of the garden they will slowly transition into pink.

Perhaps the trees with pink petals have a dark secret hidden beneath them?

Am referring to the legend that suggests the blossoms were originally all white but turned pink when a body was buried beneath the tree.

Do recommend to anyone interested in visiting the Japanese garden in Hasselt to try and go at least once while the cherry trees sport their blossoms, it is quite a sight and a wonderful experience!

You can see the photos of the Japanese garden in Hasselt I previously posted here, or check out more more photography on Flickr.

Actually attended a Spring Flower Show this past weekend, photographed many beautiful flowers, hope you look forward to seeing the photos.