I returned to the Shinjuku Gyoen cherry blossoms in 2023. The time before that was in 2018. That was a break of five years, a long time. Far more than expected. Well, the pandemic accounted for three of them. And the other two? I got caught up photographing other places. Anyway, it was good to be back.
Earlier that day, I saw the Yoyogi Park trees. They were excellent and the weather was good. Shinjuku was different; clouds covered the sky. As I made the ten-minute walk from the station, I got even more worried. The thick mush above me said it all. Rain would come sooner or later. Lucky for me, it was later. For anyone planning a visit, I recommend checking the official Shinjuku Gyoen website for the latest opening hours and ticket information.
Even on a weekday, the paths were alive with a global chorus. I heard French, Mandarin, and Spanish mixed with the shutter clicks of a hundred cameras and smartphones. It was a shared pilgrimage to celebrate one of Tokyo’s best cherry blossom spots.
The park’s cherry blossoms were spectacular, with branches heavy with fully opened flowers, creating canopies of soft pink. Walking underneath them felt like being in a pastel-colored cloud. They were on par with those I saw in 2018. Hopefully, the pictures speak for themselves. The only thing missing was some blue sky.
An overcast sky, while not ideal for dramatic landscapes, was a secret gift. It created a giant, soft light box over the park. The diffusion brought out the delicate, translucent quality of the petals without any harsh shadows.
Even though conditions weren’t perfect, the cherry blossoms brightened the park. In hindsight, I should have spent more time there. Who knows what the skies will be like in 2024? The rain mightn’t stop for a week. Making any prediction about the weather is difficult. Even professionals make mistakes.
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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