Hanami 2006 Number 2 (White Blossom Album)

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posted Sunday, 23 April 2006

Open album to view photographs

Although no Hanami would be complete without them, there is more to Spring time than pink flowering cherry blossoms. For a start, there are white blossoms too. So, without further a do, let me introduce you to my Hanami 2006 White Blossom Album.

They aren't as well known or common as Pink Flowering Cherry Trees, but they are extremely beautiful and deserve an album in their own right.

As you can probably tell from the clear blue skies, these weren't taken in Shanghai (the home of yellow smog). Instead, they are from a park close to my native home town a little earlier this year, where the trees were specially planted for their effect in the spring.

Of course, if you absolutely must have Pink Cherry Blossoms, I have an album for them as well

Bonus points if you can guess the genus and tell me why this makes them special.

Hanami

櫻 (Sakura), meaning cherry blossoms, are seen by many in Japan as being a metaphor for life: shining and beautiful, but fleeting and fragile, and the blooming of the Japan’s cherry trees is celebrated each year during the festival of 花見 (Hanami)

花見 literally means the ‘flower viewing’, and is one of the most evocative Japanese festivals. It is begins between late March and early April (earlier on Okinawa), with peak blooms falling later the further north you go.

The exact start date depending on the seasonal weather and the region of Japan that you are in, with cherry blossoms opening at slightly earlier this year than last, and at different times in different locations.

Enjoy