Photography #8

Spring Arrival

Spring in Japan has been a slow unfolding of progressively warmer days, reaching the lovely 50s/60s temperatures we are in now. Like Chicago, the reward of spring has been a long wait — though Chicago winters are still in a league of their own — for winter to release its grasp and the rainy, chilly early spring days to pass. Nothing has been rushed with spring here; a gradual week-by-week trek that has finally led to a beautiful destination.

Small shoots of grass and tiny buds on the ends of branches hinted at what was to come. However, the beauty of the flower blooms has vastly surpassed my expectations. A common activity is to picnic underneath the sakura trees and spend an afternoon or evening enjoying the falling petals. Families gather with young children, small dogs in sweaters strut around, and the smells of cooked meats from food tents waft through the air.

Emily and I have been blessed to have many friends and family visit us this past month. Because of how many places we’ve visited and photos we loved, this post is longer than usual — though I’ve kept the writing brief to compensate.

Please enjoy photos from both Emily and me, with a focus on elements of spring:

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Sendai

Nishi Koen (aka. West Park) is only a couple blocks away from our apartment and the community has been setting up tents for the past two weeks in preparation for the cherry blossoms. This past weekend, they were finally able to open everything to large crowds and it brought such fun energy to a quiet part of the city! The festival had ~15-20 food stalls, hundreds of picnickers, and lanterns in the late evening to light up the trees.

Additionally, a separate event was going on at the nearby Aoba Shrine, a memorial shrine for the city’s founder, Date Masamune. It was a Sunday market festival with stalls from all the local shops we have become regular customers at: our favorite coffee shop, Echoes (they have me addicted to canéle now); our favorite stand-bar, Beron (ベロン); a Danish-inspired restaurant with great beers called Norðic. All of these places, we have gotten to know the owners and were able to greet by name!

It was a rewarding feeling walking through both of these places recognizing and being recognized by the friends we have made. There may be something about us that stands out here…

I can’t pinpoint when a place shifts from being just a city to a home. Roots help. I have deep roots in Chicago and feel a very special kinship to that city. However, I think that may be insufficient alone to create a home. You need the fruit of the roots to grow — the blossoms that sprout after time, nutrients, and care. Sendai is starting to feel like a home now, the result of time spent extending our roots and fostering relationships. It was really hard and slow at first to settle here, but we’re feeling much more settled.

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Tokyo

I had the wonderful opportunity to spend three days exploring Tokyo with my in-laws. We spent one night taking night photography of Shinjuku (bonus post from April 7th), and much of the rest of the time taking in the city’s gardens and streets — newly filled with vibrant colors.

I have never seen Tokyo as crowded as this weekend. The train stations were packed with hustling travelers — both Japanese workers on their way to/from the office and tourists seeking out new sights to explore. It has been strange being here for what I am dubbing a ‘sabbatical’. I feel at the same time a resident and tourist. I’m not working, but I have regular patterns and know the routes too well for a passing traveler. I’m glad we chose Sendai because I don’t know if I could ever feel at home in the same way in Tokyo. It’s too large of a city for me and I enjoy the quieter pace of life we’ve found right now. That being said - such a fun place to visit.

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Kyoto

Before I met them in Tokyo, Emily traveled down to Kyoto by Shinkansen to meet up with her parents and brother for their 10-day trip to Japan. Kyoto was still on the early side of the cherry blossom blooms, but the photos Emily shared with me were exceptional.

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Theme for next week | Dramatic Landscapes