Finding Beautiful Hydrangeas at a Canceled Tokyo Festival
There were no beautiful hydrangeas at Hakusan Shrine Festival 2020. Well, there were, but the festival was canceled. The same thing happened in 2021. That year, I went anyway, pandemic or not. I wanted to do flower photography. It was a good thing I went. Why?
I thought very few people would be at the shrine. And that turned out to be true. When I arrived mid-morning, there weren’t many there. There were only a couple of photographers and a few dropping in to pray.
An unexpected perk: The flowers without the crowds
But I had a great time. It was easy to get photos having the flowers almost to myself. I only had to wait for a couple of shots, which wasn’t a bother. And that was only for a mother with a baby in a pram passing through.
Peak blooms and a perfect day
One thing could have been better. More hydrangeas should have been around the shrine itself. Usually, they are in planters. But, with the cancellation of the festival, they weren’t. If they had been there, my day would have been perfect.
A simple approach to photography
For this event, I took three lenses with me. In the end, I only used the XF 16-55mm f/2.8. The shrine’s grounds are compact, so I didn’t need a zoom or ultra-wide angle. I couldn’t find a reason to use anything else.
In the end, it was disappointing that COVID-19 had affected Tokyo this way. To see Hakusan Shrine’s Hydrangea Festival canceled again was terrible. But, on the other hand, it was a blessing for me. I got the flowers to myself.
The hydrangeas were in excellent condition, and the colors were so bright and vivid. I have never seen these at their peak before. They were very impressive. It was a thrill to be there.
Rohan Gillett
Rohan has photographed Tokyo since 2011. He shoots it with his Canon EOS R5. The project will take more than one lifetime to complete.
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External related websites
- Hakusan Shrine (official website)