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The best 2024 Tokyo cherry blossoms were at Aoyama Cemetery
The best 2024 Tokyo cherry blossoms were at Aoyama Cemetery. I couldn’t believe my luck. We had a streak of terrible weather leading up to it. There was a lot of rain. But this time, this one day, beautiful blue skies with a sprinkling of clouds greeted me. I was in flower photography heaven for a few hours!
My photo gear for this shoot
Camera Body: X-T3
Lenses:
- XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS
- XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR
Did Aoyama Cemetery have the best 2024 Tokyo cherry blossoms?
Let’s be honest. Going to every Tokyo cherry blossom spot in one season is impossible. And in 2024 I didn’t go to any of the night ones. Maybe I should clarify what I mean:
- The weather was amazing.
- I’m a big fan of Japanese grave architecture and there was plenty of it.
- The cherry blossoms were at their best.
- It was the complete experience, the perfect day. Let’s look at it in more detail.
What happened at Aoyama Cemetery?
Until 2024, I had always gone there in the morning. This time was different. Earlier in the day, I was busy at Kinuta Park. So that meant I photographed Aoyama Cemetery’s cherry blossoms in the afternoon. I’d never done that before. A few pleasant surprises waited for me.
When I went in the mornings, the cemetery had quite a few people—the afternoon had many more. A few were walking dogs, but many were walking among the graves! They were enjoying their hanami.
Many groups were there. I’d say there were more women than men. They certainly enjoyed taking selfies. Couples did the same thing. I also saw a few photographers with their models. It was a good day for photography.
This year, I experimented with the Fujifilm XF 10-24 mm. Its wide field of view is attractive. Of course, the edges can become stretched but that is okay. The lens gives a different perspective due to its wide field of view.
I can never spend enough time at Aoyama Cemetery. There are many photos I take every year. There was one photo I refrained from taking in 2024, though. That was Cherry Blossom Road. I’ve taken it so many times, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to skip it once. Plus so many cars were on that road it might have been dangerous.
This year, I found many new angles from which to take photos. That was something new and I enjoyed it. It’s just a matter of walking around. Of course, you need to keep your eye open and take photos that might seem a little dodgy. You only know if you have been successful once you see the images on your computer screen. But I had to wait until I got home to see if I had the best 2024 Tokyo cherry blossoms.
One last thing! I found a grave that interested me. It was for Jokichi Takamine. He was a chemist who had an interesting life. And did you know he was one of the people responsible for Washington D.C. receiving its cherry blossoms?
Unfortunately, his grave was rather plain-looking and not surrounded by cherry blossoms. I didn’t take a photo of it but it had fresh flowers. If you can find him, there is a plaque with a QR code for his Wikipedia article. It is interesting reading!
Wrapping up
Aoyama Cemetery had the best 2024 Tokyo cherry blossoms. It was thanks to a combination of things. The flowers and weather were superb. I also discovered new photo spots and interesting graves. I’ll remember this day for a very long time. Hopefully, it’ll repeat in 2025.
For more cherry blossom articles, look at:
External related websites:
Aoyama Cemetery (official website)
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