Ueno Park Cherry Blossoms 2022
Ueno Park cherry blossoms! I was excited because it was my first time seeing them. That might be hard to believe, as I’ve been in Tokyo for nearly thirty years, but it’s true. Finally, in 2022, I photographed them.
As I live in Takaido, Ueno is a little far for me. And the park has a reputation for being crowded during the hanami season. I hate crowds, as I have said many times before. So this place has always been low on my list of cherry blossom spots to visit.
I went to Aoyama Cemetery that morning. It’s in Tokyo’s southeast. I wanted to photograph places, including Yanaka, in the city’s north in the afternoon. And as Ueno Park was on the way, I dropped by for photographs.
The park’s reputation as a crowded place during hanami was well-deserved. There were so many people. Social distancing was impossible. Everyone had a smartphone, many had dogs, and some came in kimonos.
Tokyo’s oldest temple is Kiyomizu-Kannon. It’s in the park and has a stage like its namesake in Kyoto. There were so many people on it. I gave up waiting to take photos from it. The crowd defeated me.
The Ueno Park cherry blossoms looked great. No one could have complained about them. The only thing that put a dent in the day was the weather. It was overcast and very gray.
It was my first time to Ueno Park for hanami, so I didn’t know where to go. I meandered around and tried to snap things as they appeared. Next time, I hope to be more prepared. Anyway, it was a learning experience.
Photo gear for this shoot
Camera Body:
Fujifilm X-T3
Lenses:
- Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR
- Fujifilm XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS
By the way, have you seen the Ueno Park cherry blossoms? Let us know your experiences. I’d love to hear some thoughts. Leave any questions and comments below.
Rohan Gillett
Rohan has lived in Tokyo for 30+ years. He loves photography and plans to capture the entire city.
More cherry blossom articles
External related websites
- Ueno Park (official website)