Saturday, January 28, 2012

2012 Nago Cherry Blossom Festival A 12 Photo Essay


Here it is, fresh off the Nago Mountain from today's visit to the 2012

Nago Cherry Blossom Festival.

These 12 photos should give you an idea what the Sakura (桜) are looking like this weekend.

This year happens to Nago City's 50th Cherry Blossom Festival.

Locally, it's called's Sakura Matsuri.


Climbing up, I have no idea how many stairs, I stopped plenty of times to take pictures and it's sort of a challenge  shooting photos without any people in them.


But, I really don't mind waiting for the right split second to get the shots I want.

That gives my legs a chance to rest.  Mountain climbing just isn't my favorite sport.




Everybody wants their picture taken with the Sakura flowers.


Those pink blossoms really stand out from the background.


We had some great weather today.  It felt almost like summertime.


This scene was shot at what I'm guessing is the halfway point.


After walking this far, I decided I had more important stuff to do.

So, I entertained everyone getting ready to take pictures of these cherry blossoms in front of stone lanterns.  

I made them wait until I cleaned the spiderwebs off the plants.


Then, I took a little detour off to the left to shoot this bridge.

Last year it was cloudy and raining at the Nago Sakura Matsuri.

So, I figured this photo was more important than climbing a bunch of stairs.


Coming back down the mountain I shot some more photos with downtown Nago in the background and cherry blossoms up front.


This little Japanese White Eye bird (Mejiro) showed up and I had a devil of a time getting focus on him.  They move around pretty fast.  I think when the trees are all in full bloom those birds get drunk, or something from sniffing the sakura.  I'll go back again next week  and get some better Mejiro shots with Big Bertha, my Sigma 50-500MM LENS.

The 2012 Nago Cherry Blossom was a blast for me but, I wish I'd have read the

 OKINAWA LOCAL TOUR GUIDE'S BLOG before I climbed that mountain.

I WOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THE FREE SHUTTLE BUS THAT DRIVES YOU UP THERE !











12 comments:

Kristin said...

Just found your blog looking for details on the Festival, it's great! I have been on Okinawa for about 6 weeks, I can't wait to check out all the things you write about, and it's entertaining! Your photos are amazing too. PS: Your second line does a bit of time travel about 1000 years in the past ;)

RyukyuMike said...

Kristin,
Thank you for your kind comments and especially the time travel part. See, sometimes, I feel about 1000 years old. Too much time in the mountains catches up with a body !

Julia said...

You've made me laugh again. You might not have been able to take all those beautiful photos if you'd taken the shuttle bus! :) Happy 50th anniversary to the festival. I can see why they make a big deal of it.

Ryan said...

Cool festival Mike, I'm thinking about starting up a new business selling escalators and chair lifts in Okinawa. I reckon I'll be a millionaire in no time...do you want in?

RyukyuMike said...

Ryan,
Sounds like a plan but, you must have missed the Sunday's Silly Sign post about my experience with escalators. They disagree with me !

RyukyuMike said...

Julia,
Glad ya got a chuckle. You are correct; I probably wouldn't have seen half the photo opportunities riding the bus. But, I did hear you get the ride up the hill and walk back down. Coulda saved some wear and tear on the old flip flops!

Japan Australia said...

They are looking so beautiful at the moment. When do they hit there peak in Okinawa or have they already passed that?

Japan Australia

RyukyuMike said...

Japan Australia,
Not peeked, yet. I'd say in a week, or two. It's all weather dependent.
That's why I've tried to update frequently for my readers.

Angela said...

Beautiful pictures and colors, very apt name for the blossom festival!

RyukyuMike said...

Angela,
Plus, on top of all that it was an unusually warm summer-like day!

Sophie said...

Gorgeous photos, Mike!

RyukyuMike said...

Sophie,
Thank you. I'll see if I can get up there when the place is in full bloom and shoot some more for you !