My big surprise was to discover behind the house a channel bordered with blooming cherries. The weather was not nice in my first morning in Kyoto, after a rainy night. But above the hills, the clouds were moving to clear the sky.


I had a plan for the day but I was not in a hurry. I strolled along the alley, taking photos and absorbing the beauty around me. There have been other photographers too and I could read in their eyes their admiration for the wonderful flowers.

There are, in Japan, over 100 varieties, cultivated to adorn the gardens, the temples and the streets. Of course I am not a specialist but still I can tell you that one may differentiate the flowers after the number of the petals (usually 5-20 but there are also flowers with aprox. 100 petals), after the color (beside white and pink it seems there are yellow ones too but I have not seen them), after the blooming time or the form of the trees (I love the weeping ones).


With their keen esthetic sense and their love for nature, the Japanese established the tradition of hanami, which means to admire the cherry flowers. Early in the morning, to catch the best place, they put blue plastic sheets on the ground, underneath the cherries. Later on they come with family or friends on a picnic. A bulletin is published on the internet with the best flowering period in different places, so they can go and admire them.


Please consider what you see here only an appetizer, as the sakura followed me during all my stay in Japan…and the pines, the beautiful Japanese pines, which I love so much…

Surpriza cea mare a fost sa descopar in spatele casei, la cativa zeci de metri, un canal de-a lungul caruia serpuia o alee tivita cu ciresi albi si roz, aflati in diverse stadii de inflorire. In timp ce unii erau in plina floare, altii se scuturau la vantul usor care adia in prima mea dimineata la Kyoto.

Pe cer, deasupra dealurilor, se deplasau norii intr-o miscare care speram sa aduca soarele. Pana atunci insa, am hoinarit incet spre primul obiectiv pe care aveam sa il vad, Heian Jingu. Aveam un plan dar nu ma grabeam. Ma opream des ca sa fotografiez si sa absorb aceasta splendoare din jurul meu. Mai erau si alti fotografi pe alee, cum aveam sa vad mereu in aceasta excursie. Citeam in ochii tuturor admiratia pentru aceasta minune. Ma gandesc cum o fi sa locuiesti acolo si sa ii ai mereu in fata ta…

Exista in Japonia peste 100 de varietati de cires! Ei au fost cultivati de-a lungul secolelor pentru a impodobi gradini, temple si strazi. Desigur ca eu nu sunt specialista si nu am putut identifica florile, dar va pot spune ca ciresii se diferentiaza dupa numarul de petale al florilor (intre 5-20 dar exista unele cu circa 100 de petale), dupa culoarea lor (in afara de albe si roz se pare ca exista si flori galbene, dar eu nu am vazut), dupa momentul infloririi (mai timpurii sau mai tarzii), dupa forma pomului (cei “plangatori” sunt minunati).

Cu pronuntatul lor simt estetic si dragostea de natura, japonezii au impamantenit obiceiul de hanami, adica de admirare a florilor de cires. Dimineata, devreme, pentru a gasi cel mai potrivit loc, ei astern sub ciresii infloriti folii albastre din plastic pe care, mai tarziu, se aduna cu familia sau prietenii, la un picnic. Pe internet se publica anual un calendar al estimarii momentului optim de inflorire intr-o anumita zona, asa ca ei se pot deplasa acolo unde este cel mai frumos in perioada respectiva.

Considerati ce vedeti in aceasta postare doar un aperitiv pentru ca sakura m-a insotit mereu in aceasta calatorie…si pinii, minunatii pini japonezi pe care ii iubesc si pe care ii veti vedea in alte postari.