Cherry blossom tint the hill with pink

I wanted to see cherry blossom at Takato Castle Site Park in Nagano prefecture. Nagano prefecture is among high mountains like The north alps or The central alps of Japan.  So cherry blossom bloom is later in usual year but in this year the bloom of nation-wide is earlier. Then the forecasting of bloom there was difficult. It  snowed  there on the day before I visited. But the snow melted and it was  timely to see them for us luckily! They were just full blooming!
 .

The central alps and Takato-town

   

The takato- kohigan-zakura cherry blossoms (Prunus subhitella), a unique cherry variety found only here in the world,are a little smaller and more distinctly pink than another famous cherry blossom variety "someiyoshino" (Prunus yedoensis). As many as 1500 takato -kohigan-zakura cherry trees, some more than 130 years old,turn the whole park on the hill pale pink. This is one of the three grandest sites of cherry blossoms in Japan, along with Hirosaki Park of Aomori and Yoshinoyama of Nara.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Takato clan ceased to exist, following the decree to abolish the feudal domains and established prefectures in 1871. This nationally famous cherry blossom site has its beginning when the former samurais of the Takato clan deplored the dilapidation of the castle site and moved here the cherry trees from the "Sakura-no- baba"( Hippodrome of Cherry blossoms) where the horses were said to have been "hidden among cherry blossom".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

many sightseeing bus and cherry blossom

 

 

~Cherry blossom at Iida-city in south nagano~ 

 

 

Kinehara  school、    This school is  the closure of a school now but the location place
 of film "Ka-bee (母べえ） "  by leading  Sayuri Yoshinaga

 

At Keisyoji-temple in Nagano

Brilliant drooping cherry

We like cherry blossom.
 The meteorological observatory forecasts when the cherry trees of many region will bloom and make the cherry-blossom front map like a contour map. Seeing it, we can find when the cherry trees will bloom in our region and we wait expectantly on the day.

In the old days, farmers used to start farm work when spring comes and cherry bloom.

The cherry-blossom front of this year is a trot. Blossom of cherry is 100% now around here. So I visited three sights of cherry blossom in Kyoto city.
I felt there are many drooping cherry in Kyoto city. Kyoto has the long history of court noble culture.
In my arbitrarily point of view, noblemen seems to suit drooping cherry and samurai warriors seems to suit Someiyoshino cherry(usual cherry).


~We enjoyed the night view of cherry blossoms at Toji-Temple~

This temple was built in the 8 century and World Heritage Site now. The antique market is held on the 21th every month.

 

 

 

 

 

reflection

 

 

  

~Brilliant drooping cherry at the Japanese garden in Heian-Jingu~

 

Kyoto has been the capital of politics and economy for 1074 years. But the capital of Japan transferred to Tokyo from Kyoto in 1868. Its population decreased. So citizen restored some building in the Heian Palace as the monument of exhibition by their contribution and enshrined the Emperor Kanmu and Komei. The garden here is widely known as the Japanese style garden. The area of this garden is 33000 square meters and its specialty is the garden in Heian period. For example, intricate narrow paths or some creeks flow to the pond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were many very tall drooping cherry. They looked like a canopy

 

 

 

 

 

This garden have  small brooks and some  ponds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~The old cherry tree at Maruyama-Park~

Maruyama-Park is famous in Kyoto city. Many sights are near here.

They  are saving a spot  for a picnic under the cherry blossoms at night from
daytime in Maruyama-Park. They will enjoy a booze.