As I mentioned in the previous post, the weather this year was less than cooperative when it came to enjoying the cherry blossom season. It rained nearly every day, causing the blossoms to open late and then to fall off quite early. It was really tough to get good photographs this year! So, for the few days of good weather, I wandered around Himeji as best I could to appreciate the blossoms.
The crowds were pretty intense around the castle this year, since the grand reopening of Himeji Castle on March 27th. Even on the rainiest days there were thousands of people touring the castle from all over the world. Even now, nearly three weeks later, the crowds have yet to let up. I wonder if this is how busy the castle normally is, when it isn't under renovation?
I'm lucky in that I get to see the castle twice a day, every day, while I head to and back from work. No matter what time of day it is, or how bad the weather is, the castle never ceases to be awe-inspiring. It changes colors throughout the day, depending on the sun and the weather, so it never looks exactly the same from one hour to the next.
The following photos were taken from the end of March through mid-April, around the castle and the Koko-En garden.
This photo shows some magnolia buds just starting to open, near one of the parks surrounding the castle.
An early tree was blooming over the outer-moat, and it looked lovely!
It was fun taking photographs of cherry branches with the castle looming in the background. This is actually a view of the back of the castle.
This photo was taken from the post office near the castle, when the cherry trees weren't quite blooming yet. This was day one of three sunny days this spring.
I spotted this talkative castle cat on top of one of the old stone walls outside of the castle. She's a particularly friendly one, that actually likes being pet by people.
She started working her way down the wall, prowling for birds' nests along the way.
She camouflages quite well with the stonework! (And yes, she eventually made it down safely, and proceeded to ask me for belly rubs.)
This photo was taken on the second sunny day this spring, near the castle, as the blossoms were starting to reach their peak bloom. Cherry blossoms, I've learned, come in many shapes and colors!
Look! I got a picture of the castle against a blue sky! It's a small miracle.
The castle again, you can see some of the cherries blooming around it. The castle grounds are almost entirely surrounded with cherry trees, and on this day they were all blooming beautifully!
This photo is actually from the top of Mt. Hiromine in Himeji, and is of one of the two lion-dogs guarding the entrance to the temple. I've been to this temple once before, when I first came to Japan, and I enjoyed a nice lunch in the mostly-fallen blossoms on the third sunny-ish day this spring.
Finally, I visited the Koko-en last weekend, on a sunny day, but cherry season was pretty much over at this point in Himeji. I suppose it can count as the fourth sunny day, if it weren't for the fact that 90% of the blossoms had fallen by this point.
Still, there were two trees still blooming in the gardens. I've noticed that the weeping-cherry variety tends to bloom a bit later than the other kinds.
For some reason there are trees that grow new leaves in a red color, but the autumn colors feel out-of-place when it's spring...
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