Early Cherry Blossom
In order to put [ An-Mochi Cooking ] post, I needed to have a photo of Plum Blossom.
Though I couldn’t find it in time of the 3rd of March, Japanese Hina-Matsuri (ひな祭り／Girls Festival )
Then few days ago, I saw a Pink Blossom from a bus window. But when I went back there with my camera, tree was
turned out to be a Mountain Cherry ( we call Yama-zakura/山桜 ) = the origin of Somei-Yoshino variety.
Despite of normally rather small Mountain Cherry, this tree was a quite hefty big tree of 5~6 m tall which
I can even climb up. ( Though, as a good citizen, I didn’t 😀 ) As it spreading the branches wide, it
convinced me to use Fisheye lens ( again ) 😀
In the western tastes, the more the flowers, mean “Gorgeous” !
So, enjoy the view. Gorgeous isn’t it. — though, if I may a bit sarcastic, this psyche and its tendency
might be related to the birth of the Capitalism. ( In its endless greed —– though, don’t ask me
how about the psyche of tremendously rich eastern industrialists 😀 )
So, it might be only a fig-leaf of yet another greed, still this kind of rather reserved decency, originated from
the Confucians philosophy is more appreciated in the east as it often appeared in the Chinese paintings.
Coinciding with Confucians, Taoism has been teaching
the virtue of living with the rules of the nature.
Be humble and live as an anonymous small person
= This is the idea of Minimalism.
This minimalism has been reflected into Zen philosophy.
So that even in poetry, such as in Haiku/俳句, it is not just
short,but the strict rules limiting the use of the word = only one word indicates the season/季語 = it must be
there, but another word doubling it is regarded to be superfluous, hence illegal = it got to be strictly minimal.
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So, in photography, in order to show the full bloom of cherry, some time photographer only showed a fallen
petal or two on the ground, or floating in the stream. ( Though, in real life, to create this image, photographer
remove all the petals on the ground before, and places the best look flower petal in the most effective,
looks natural position = it is a staged photo 😀 ) —– I don’t have any editor to please = I’ve just clicked
a photo above. If you find the flowers in full bloom and its end of the life = temporariness of
the life, it is what this photo meant to be. ( Click on the photo to enlarge, and click it again for further
enlargement = it become about the life-size. Put your lap-top or tablet on the floor. Kneel down as if you
are looking into the fallen petals on the real ground. Give a thought. = It would make you feel a bit humble.
—– Take this as a Buddhist’s practice in Direct Transmission. )
( Camera used was a very humble Canon EOS 5D Mk-II, 8~15 mm Fisheye Zoom, 24~70 F2.8 Zoom Lens )
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Yoshizen's Blog 
Lovely Yoshizen.
Thank you Karen.
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PS: It seems something wrong with logging in to put
[Like] or [comment] to your blog —– WP(or Gravitar ?) is keep saying,
” Error. Your account is associated with this Email address.
Please logg in” —– ??? What are they talking ?”
I may no longer able to put comment on your (in fact any) WP blog.
Still, I’m keen follower and a reader of your beautiful Photo Blog.
So, you just keep carry on. 🙂
Thank you Yoshizen, I hope you resolve the difficulties with this.
I always appreciate your observations. 🙂
Your posts always make me smile, Yoshizen. Thank you! These photographs, and your accompanying narrative, are wonderful.
Thank you Lemony. You are very kind. ( And honest though, —– )
In reality, I’m a very serious critical person. ( You believe it or not ) Therefore, to see myself in the same
critical eyes, I found it is no way near to the perfect. If not perfect, to pretend to be perfect is a hypocrite. Since, I’m a very honest person too. So, for the sake of truth, I was forced to live funny man’s life.
—– believe me, I’m honest. Ha ha ha 😀 😀
Flowering cherries are also a traditional part of spring here on the North Coast. They were first introduced by Japanese immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and now most cities have at least a few streets lined with them. For about a week every year, these streets look like a fantasy. A very appropriate setting for celebrating the blessing of daughters!
Robin
Rusty Ring: Reflections of an Old-Timey Hermit
Oh, I see. Now I found the reason. Japanese immigrants wanted a pink flower for Hina-Matsuri.
But, as the plum opens their flower 2 weeks late, in stead, they planted Yama-zakura. ( in its
variety is Kan-zakura which can bloom even in the February )
What an effort, what an heart-warming story = for celebrating the blessing of their daughter,
early Japanese immigrants planted Yama-zakura brought back from far-land.
Thank you Robin to let me know.
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Yoshizen
By the way, Yoshizen, I had the same problem trying to comment here: every time I tried, I got that “email address already associated” warning. To the best of my knowledge, I never even had a WP account! But I went through the password-changing routine, during which WP informed me my user name was “rustyring”, which is my Gravatar name. Anyway, I went ahead and “changed” my password (signed up for WP, really), then logged in here and was able to comment.
I guess some glitch has developed between Gravatar and WP.
For what it’s worth!
Robin
Rusty Ring: Reflections of an Old-Timey Hermit
Thank you Robin.
I don’t know how Gravatar negotiated with WP. Anyhow they want to play bigger role here to
list-up the users = the size of the registered user with their personal data is [ the Asset ].
Especially, with [ Pass word ] mean, they can get into the space by their will = put any
AD in their term = big selling point to the advertiser.
The size of individual WP net work is pretty small = not much use for the advertiser, but people
put [Like] much more casually = this network is quite big.
And the tendency where to put [Like] —-> with statistical analysis = good indication of a market.
—— with those reason, I never joined any SNS.
Wow, great Yoshizen, long time now see, thanks for sharing these great cherry flowers.
謝謝 Sing Lee 同志
I’m sure your country got those flower in much grander scale.
I guess, your people more appreciates plum flower over cherry.
My photo of plum blossom is coming soon. 🙂
Haha, there are lots of wild cherry living on those high mountains, but they are completely different from those mad-grown cherry trees.
By the way, we normally grow plum trees around our village, i grew more than 10 of them, and they are now still keep living very well.
This year they will offer lots of fruit.
20 or 30 years ago I had provably the most imaginative dream in my life :
—– I was sent down from somewhere sky-high place, to get a bottle of spirit.
I walked down a stone staircase held in the air like a rainbow.
Walked down long long steps, I reached to a Chinese village which was filled
with plum blossoms. Every where looked around, it was the pink flower.
So, I convinced, Aha, this is the Shangrila / 桃源郷 ! —– and I looked for a shop.
——- ( The dream end here. I have no idea where this image came from though,
Chinese village seemed to be always associated with lots of Plum flowers. 😀 )
Lovely photos. I wish I had more cherry trees near me. Our apple and pear trees will bloom soon. They are lovely too, of course. Still, they are not the same. Thank you for sharing these photos.
姫様
遠路はるばるの御足労，いたく かたじけなし。 ;-)
I wish, your friends rabbit has nice dream on the bed of apple flower petals.
I will watch and see and take pictures as I can. Just know that this rabbit will always dream of sakura.
How sweet.
Yet, what dream the rabbit will be dreaming —– is it in a hilt of full bloom
or the moment when the petals are fallen like a snow ?
Japanese appreciate the Sakura, because of the beauty in its final moment.
I’ll probably dream of both, being a product of the West with a heart for the East. I love it when the ground is covered in petals and the air is strong with scent (crab apple has a wonderful scent). Here are two posts from last year or so that capture a bit of the beauties I see in spring: http://tasmith1122.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/my-walk-for-japan/ and http://tasmith1122.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/my-very-own-poetry-prompt/ .
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