When we say "Sakura is yet to bloom", it's usually a kind of Sakura that is called "Somei Yoshino". There are some other kinds that blossom in spring, but the most popular one is Somei Yoshino, and the blooming of the Sakura is the benchmark of the advent of spring in Japan. There is Mt. Yoshino in Nara prefecture and this Somei Yoshino was named after the mountain. And the Sakura I showed in the previous posting are also Somei Yohino. But let me show you another kind here that is a bit different.
This one is called "Shidare Zakura". Zakura is synonymous with Sakura. I think this is the second most commonly seen Sakura, and this also blossoms in April. And "Shidare" basically means "drooping down", and you can see the branches looking downward.
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I went to the winery I showed in this posting, and it was holding a Sakura festival. And the Sakra trees you see below are all "Somei Yoshino".
This winery is called "Shateau Kamiya" and one of the great places in my neighborhood where you can see many Sakura trees.
As you can see, the Sakura trees were literally in full bloom.
You can have a barbecue party on the premises, and as you can see on this menu, there were many kinds of meat available.
To many Japanese people, the blooming of Sakura is the most important event in a year, and it is said that as we grow older, we tend to focus more on Sakura in spring.
What you see in the background is a bamboo forest. I thought this was a good combination.
The Sakura festival this winery is holding runs until April 11.
When I reported on Sakura last Saturday, most of the trees weren't in full bloom, and the weather wasn't good. So I decided to take pics of Sakura a second time. I hope at least one of the pics impresses you =)
