Pictures: Cherry Blossoms 2003
1 week, 4 cities, 700 photos, here are the results.
1 week, 4 cities, 700 photos, here are the results.
Must be a full moon tonight: A night shot of the cherry blossoms around Osaka Castle.
Takoyaki anyway?: A takoyaki (octopus balls) stand outside of Osaka Castle.
Girl scout panhandlers: Some girl scouts stand on the Amagasaki Bridge.
The 'most famous' area for cherry blossom viewing in the Amagasaki area of Kyoto: Fordham University friend Ashley and I find only bamboo.
I think there's some good fishin' in that there pond: A view from the Heian Jingu (Shrine) in Kyoto.
Now thats a big cherry tree: The famous cherry blossom tree in Maruyama park in Kyoto.
"Hey, you guys want to come meet some girls? They ruv American.": A random drunk Japanese guy met in the bathroom pulled my friend (blue hat) and I to his picnic of crazy - drunk - hoard of women.
Drunk as skunks: Our picnic blanket of drunk English teachers and students.
You can almost smell it: A close up of some kind of flower (help me out here mom).
Not all beauty: The trash pile collected from a day at Maruyama Park in Kyoto from the thousands of picnicers.
"Yea Cayenne, I think you can make it:" Kiwi friend Leon and I decide to jump the canal near Kurayama Park.
"That a boy!": I barely land, avoiding a jackazz like injury.
Makin' bacon: Some stuffed pigs in one of the carnival boothes.
Doe, a deer, a Nara deer: I lounge by some deer in Nara Park.
Yuka puts our frisbee into the drink: Some mighty cold water.
I fetch it out: Shannon gives me a helping hand in the recover.
Come on, you know you want a charred fish on a stick with scales, eyes and all, don't deny it: A vendor on in Yoshino (near Nara)
Thats the pinkest snow I've ever seen: Some fallen petals on the ground.
Random shrine: Atop Mt. Yoshino
Thats one big rain bucket: Outside the temple atop Mt. Yoshino.
A tatami mat with a view: A restruant along the trail up Mt. Yoshino
My legs are asleep: Tomomi and I say "kampai (cheers)" with our green tea.
Before the rush: A week before Japan sworm the park near Osaka Castle.
I bet no ones taken this angle before: The cherry blossoms in front of Osaka Castle.
You might want to take that one vertically: One of the tons of fellow picture takers, taking a pic of Osaka Castle.
It represents the contrast of commercialism and natural beauty: I waste some film (memory) around Osaka Castle.
Thats a keeper: A close up of a cherry blossom.
Wish you were here: Another blossom.
Rockey resorts to street entertainment after being out of the ring a while: Rokki (if you read the Japanese on his shorts) performs outside Osaka Castle.
Sure would suck if he sneezed: A competing performer outside Osaka Castle.
Florescents give a nice coloring: Osaka Castle in the background at dusk.
Think I'm drunk: An accidental photo outside Osaka Castle.
I've never seen a fence that needed to be shaved before: A bushy fence in the Amagasaki area.
Come on big money!: A woman writes her wish on a piece of wood (which later is burned).
Farmers wishes for the new year: Year of the sheep indeed.
A fence of wishes:
Free umbrella anyone?: Some left over umbrellas along the side of the road.
Kenji always was sort of a basketcase: A buddhist monk plays for donations.
Damn tourists, a few trees blossom and they all go nuts!: A crane chills in Maruyama Park in Kyoto.
Good thing I wore my heels today: A fashionable woman walks through the park in Heian Shrine.
A rock that hasn't been moving much: Some fallen petals.
I don't see what's so famous about this shrine: The peaceful view from Heian Shrine in Kyoto.
Torii, Torii, Torii: A torii (gate) along a river.
A rare second where the view isn't obscured: The big tree in Maruyama Park.
Ashley, come on, put down the Chu-Hi: Ashley and I infront of the tree.
That's funny, it doesn't seem to be raining: A japanese model poses for her photographer as I sneak a picture over his head.
I can't feel my eye: The sapporro starts to kick in
Does that tree look blurry to you?: Alison and I in front of the big tree.
Hey Cayenne, lets take a picture with a total stranger: My friend talks a random girl in a yukata (springtime kimono) into taking a picture with me.
I want to be a geisha, like my mother before me: A maiko (geisha in training) along with her geisha mentor pose for us along the streets of Gion in Kyoto.
You don't think that rock down there is slippery, do you?: Some kids shortly before giggling at the stupid American.
At least my camera's ok: A minute after making a fool of myself by falling into the canal.
Air Leon: Leon makes the big jump.
A yellow flower: I'm beginning to get tired of all these captions.
More flowers: Yep, they're getting to me.
Look, a pink cherry blossom, haven't seen that before: Ok, I've given up.
Leon, that's not a chopstick you're substituing for your cotton candy, is it?: Leon is pleased that he's found a coke, some okonomiyaki, and cotton candy all in the same 5 minutes.
It'll only sting for a second: Oh, how the hunters back at home would love it here. Leon points a toy gun at a deer in Nara park... but doesn't fire it.
I like your use of pink here: An artist paints the Kurayama Castle near Nara.
Land of the setting sun: Dusk in Nara.
Those two look like bad girls: Former students Kaori and Yuko pose near the Kurogawa River in Nishinomiya (near Kobe).
Give me the camera or I'll... : A baby on a swing reaches for the strange looking white foreigner with the camera.
Vogue!: Now Yuko, you won't throw that into the river, right?
Kaori amazes us with her power to levitate objects: A game of frisbee, the same one I won from some cheap carnival vendor.
He's telling me to stop throwing me, that his life is spinning out of control: Miho has a chat with the frisbee.
Ah, I can't believe it! There's another guy up here named Kenji Tanaka: Stickers of people's names up on a gate in Yoshino.
Talk to the hand: One of the famous "Ni" statues believed to ward off evil spirits.
Random Torii:
Quite a beautiful countryside: Yoshino.
Hey, could you take a photo of us without feet, yet with lots of sky? Thanks: Tomomi and I pose for some old guy who's never used a digital camera before.
The countryside of Yoshino:
Wonder where this leads to: A path along Yoshino Mountain.
Japanese Azelia's: Glad we looked that one up in the dictionary.
You killed my brother, now I kill you: A samurai at heart.