Japan Photo Guide

Still considering going to Japan for the 2012 cherry blossom season?  There are still a few places available for Japan Photo Guide’s 2012 Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan!  The deadline, February 11th, 2012, is coming up quickly and there are special discounts by booking your guided tour of Japan before the end of January!  Need more information?  Here is some info and links to help you make your decision about going to Japan this spring!

 

Japan Photo Guide has just announced a tour and travel experience for Japan during the 2012 cherry blossom season! The 2012 cherry blossom forecast hasn’t been released yet, but the details of small group tour to Japan are available.  What makes this tour special is the fact you get to travel around Japan with 2 guides, one a professional photographer and the other a Japanese tour guide.  Both of which have extensive travel experience and have lived in Japan.  While the tour is designed for photographers, spouses and friends that aren’t photographers are welcome to join as well.  Especially because there are two guides, this makes the tour more flexible if there is need to spilt up from time to time if the photographers are moving along at a different pace than others… Anyone who has traveled with their photographer spouse or friend knows exactly what I’m talking about!  To keep the tour intimate and special for everyone, there are only a limited number of spaces, only 8, so don’t miss out on this special experience!

Even though I am about as far away from Japan as possible, I am super excited about the 2009 cherry blossom season! Partly because it looks like I will be able to make it to Washington DC to see the cherry blossoms blooming in 2009! Yay! In any case, to get everyone excited, here is a short video slideshow with some of my favorite cherry blossom photos from my stay in Japan. Make sure you turn up the volume, but put on some headphones if you are at work! Enjoy!

There are two wonderful and exciting things about February in Japan. First is the Sapporo Snow Festival, and the second is the cherry blossom forecast! The forecast has not been released yet, but usually the first one is released in the middle of, or late February. Check back again as I will post information as soon as I find it is available. Until then, check out some cherry blossom photos from years past!

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Edited on February 25th.
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Here is the latest forecast from Tenki.jp! Looks like things will be a little early this year with Tokyo and Kyoto around March 25th.

Shinjuku Gyoen is one of the most famous and popular places for hanami (cherry blossom viewing) in Tokyo. The park itself is huge and literally has thousands of cherry blossoms trees, and a few different kinds. It might even be a little too big as I felt like I didn’t really know where to go; however, truth be told, it doesn’t matter so much where you go as I am sure you can find something to your liking.

I am a pretty big fan of Yoyogi Park and after visiting Shinjuku Gyoen, I think I still prefer Yoyogi, but I was really happy I went to see the cherry blossoms there. See more photos and read the rest of this entry »

Since I was across the street at Chidorigafuchi, I decided I might as well stop by the controversial Yasukuni Shrine. Why is it controversial? In a nutshell, this is a shrine dedicated to all those who died protecting Japan during times of war and according to the Official Yasukini Shrine Homepage:

Currently, more than 2,466,000 divinities are enshrined here at Yasukuni Shrine. These are souls of men who made ultimate sacrifice for their nation since 1853 during national crises such as the Boshin War, the Seinan War, the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars, World War I, the Manchurian Incident, the China Incident and the Greater East Asian War (World War II). These people, regardless of their rank or social standing, are considered to be completely equal and worshiped as venerable divinities of Yasukuni.

So again, why all this controversy? See more photos and read the rest of this entry »

Chidorigafuchi (Chidori-ga-fuchi) is part of the moat that surrounds the former Edo Castle and is one of the most famous places in Tokyo to see cherry blossoms. If you like, you can rent a row boat or a paddle boat. To be honest, there isn’t too much to say about this place that I cannot convey with my photos–besides where it is I guess… Kundashita or Hanzomon Stations on the subway are both within walking distance–so take a look and enjoy!

See more photos and read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I got an email that said the following:

Hi – just saw your blog on the 2008 Cherry Blossom forecast. The map says March 25th for Tokyo. Do you have an idea if this is the peak date or the blossom date, when they first start? I was told that once they start, its 7 days until peak, and another 7 days until they are gone. I tried to plan a trip there this year and wanted to be there when it peaks. If the 25th is the first day, then they will peak around April 1 …. But maybe the 25th is the peak date? What do you think, based on the way they word it on the page?

I just thought it might be useful to answer the question here. Basically the dates that are given for the forecast are the estimated blooming date, in other words the day they are expected to start opening. And yes, once they start it is about 7 days until they are in full bloom or “100%” but this can be different for every tree. As far as how long they are in bloom, this depends a lot on the weather. If there is a hard rain or strong winds, this could drastically reduce the amount of days that the sakura (cherry blossoms) are in full bloom. The 2008 cherry blossom forecast could change (as it usually does slightly) so my best advice would be plan to arrive a couple days after the start date, stay for a few days and hope you get lucky!