Hanami 花見 (lit. flower viewing)

To say that cherry blossom viewing is an important event on the Japanese social calendar would be an understatement. Just as autumn in Japan brought about a mosaic of burnt oranges, rustic browns and fiery reds across virtually mountain side - spring has brought about an explosion of vibrant colours. I struggle to think of a conversation in the last three weeks that hasn't involved asking me whether I've seen the cherry blossoms, where I've seen them or what I thought of them.

Not one to disappoint, I ventured off to Kyoto for a day and managed to catch some serious cherry blossom action first hand. Admitedly the video is a bit rough but hey it's the first time I've tried putting one together. A bit of the razzle and dazzle of the season got lost compressing the video for the web but the check out the pictures on facebook pictures for the full effect.

Oh and sorry it's been so long since the last post - have a load of things to put on this sight in the not to distant future so stay tuned...