Hakusan Shrine Hydrangea Festival 2022
Hakusan Shrine Hydrangea Festival 2022 was great. It didn’t happen in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. I was happy it was back. And along with me, many people came to see the flowers. This event kicks off Tokyo’s summer.
I would have appreciated blue sky. Little was to be found. Clouds ruled. That was okay, as the dull light made things perfect for flower photography. I didn’t point my camera upward!
The Hakusan Shrine hydrangeas looked great. They had peaked. Some areas were devoid of them, though. None were around the altar and komainu (lion-dog guardian statues). Why not? I have no answer.
The shrine has a small hill that hydrangeas cover. In 2020 and 20221, it was closed. The gate remained locked in 2022. I had to be content photographing the flowers from outside.
Another photographer and I had a brief conversation there. We were waiting to get photos of the front of the shrine. So many people were in the way, and we kept umming and ahhing, pulling away from the shot. We saw each struggling with the timing.
She thought photography was a waiting game. It’s either hoping for people to leave the area or waiting for them to come. I agreed with her. Dealing with frustration is a part of our lives.
Having only one lens frustrated me. I went to the Australian Embassy to renew my passport earlier that day. Can you believe the replacement cost me over AU$400? The price stunned me. The hole in my wallet was enormous.
Anyway, thanks to the wad of paperwork, the 10-24 mm and 55-200 mm lenses couldn’t fit in my bag. I missed that wide-angle. The big hydrangea flower beds needed it.
Hakusan Shrine Hydrangea Festival 2022 was good. Things were back to normal after two years. Leave questions and comments below.
Hakusan Shrine hydrangea photo gear:
- Camera body: Fujifilm X-T3
- Lens: Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR
Rohan Gillett
Rohan has lived in Tokyo for 30+ years. He loves photography and plans to capture the entire city.
More hydrangea articles:
External related websites:
- Hakusan Shrine (official website)