I was in Ueno Park the weekend that the blossoms were at their peak.  I witnessed how much the Japanese people revere this delicate transient flower.

There were many people walking around making photos mindful not to get in the way of others. The designated areas for hanami, flower viewing, were full of people of all ages eating and drinking.

I find it fitting that my photos are taken with a camera designed in Japan which most probably will be superseded shortly.  I’ll think of the message of the blossoms, transience is everywhere.

‘And so the spring buds burst,

and so I gaze,

And so the blossoms fall,

And so my days…’

Uejima Onitsura  1661 - 1738

Ueno Park, Tokyo

April 2024