A spring day in Sakado City, Saitama Prefecture, with Angyo Kan-zakura blooming in profusion. I captured a moment of my daughter laughing happily beneath rows of cherry trees in full bloom. Along with the soft spring light, the scene expresses the gentle passage of spring in Japan.

It's the moment in a spring field blanketed with rapeseed flowers when my daughter, caught up in the joy, tossed her hat into the sky with a gleeful laugh. Wrapped in warm breezes and sunlight, she celebrates the arrival of spring in Japan with her whole being.

Morning at Utonai-ko ✨ The silhouette of a large all-white heron, the Great Egret, gleams against the morning sun. (Image provided by Roadside Station Utonai Lake)

Chubu Electric Power MIRAI TOWER and Kawazu cherry blossoms I photographed Chubu Electric Power MIRAI TOWER (formerly the TV Tower) together with Kawazu cherry blossoms in Central Park, Sakae, Nagoya City. March 3, 2026

Isehara Flower Report 2026.03.13 Here is today’s report on flower blooming in Isehara City. The mitsumata at Hinata Yakushi is in full, beautiful bloom and is currently at its best. Soft yellow flowers that evoke spring are coloring the temple grounds. At Maruyama Castle Ruins Park, a few almond blossoms have been confirmed. Many buds remain, so the peak bloom seems yet to come.

Photographed on March 1, 2014. The white plum blossoms at Kameya Honten were in full bloom.

Jōnan-gū Shrine sits in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City. This is Jōnan-gū Shrine. A pale pink plum blossom and a fallen camellia rest on green moss. The contrast of colors is beautiful. The scene felt like a magical space, as if I were in another world. (୨୧❛ᴗ❛)📷✨🌸🌼

Hello 😃 This is Yamanashi Wine Kingdom Main Building. March has arrived, and Shosenkyo Gorge is slowly showing signs of spring. It’s still a bit chilly, but the mountain trees are starting to take on a hint of green, and the landscape’s expression is softening 🌿 Shosenkyo Gorge was once known as a source of quartz, and the beautiful crystals mined here helped Yamanashi become known as the City of Gems ✨ Shosenkyo Gorge is also home to Kanazakura Shrine, which enshrines quartz as its sacred object, making it a particularly recommended spot for fans of stones and power stones 💎 It’s a mystical place where you can feel nature and history ⛩️ When you visit Shosenkyo Gorge, be sure to see Senga Falls. The view of the waterfall up close is full of power and so photogenic you’ll want to capture it on camera 📸 When touring Shosenkyo Gorge, please stop by Yamanashi Wine Kingdom Main Building. At this time of year, we offer wines that feel bright and springlike 🍷🌸 We sincerely look forward to your visit.

Kumanozakura, recognized as a newly identified cherry variety It blooms earlier than Someiyoshino and has deeper color than Yamazakura Photographed in the Mine District of Kozagawacho.

At the moment when a long winter was about to end, I felt spring within a rolling whirl of power. In that early spring, the resilience of nature gave me the energy to live.

The tallest self-supporting broadcasting tower in the world, Tokyo Sky Tree, and Japan’s symbol of spring, the cherry blossoms. This photograph captures a moment where cutting-edge technology and nature cherished since ancient times show perfect harmony. In Japan, cherry blossoms are more than mere flowers. They symbolize new beginnings and the poignant beauty of a fleeting moment. In this composition, the tower’s urban, sharp steel frame is gently outlined by soft pink petals, reflecting both the energy of ever-changing Tokyo and the unchanging beauty of the four seasons. The clear blue sky contrasted with vivid cherry blossoms embodies Japan’s warm hospitality toward visitors. Through this single image, we hope you can feel the breath of tradition and innovation that Japan proudly offers.

I photographed this scene in the plum grove of Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan’s three most celebrated gardens. In this historic garden I sought to capture the passage of time played by the plums and the quiet vitality hidden within them, rendering both with a dreamlike interplay of light that blurs dream and reality. A single drooping branch holds a few delicate pink blossoms, and countless floating orbs of light—bokeh—wrap around them. Those many bokeh spheres symbolize layers of time linking past and future and the glitter of innumerable lives. I composed the shot to lead the eye to the central blossom, emphasizing its fleeting beauty and refined dignity.

A plum grove in Katsuragicho, Wakayama Prefecture, is planted on the slope of a hill. Unlike the plum groves in the Kinan Region, nets are not set up to catch the fruit at harvest. I believe the mountain visible beyond the grove is Mount Izumi Katsuragi.

Tsukigase Plum Valley Ume Festival Now ongoing! Thanks to the cold weather, the plum blossoms are likely to last longer✨ The area around Lakeside Village Tsukigase is at its best, too✨ Photo courtesy of yasunori okamoto

A photo of Hamarikyu Gardens near my office on March 5th. Returning from a business trip after a week, the gardens are in full bloom with rapeseed flowers.

Photographed on February 18, 2014. The red plum blossoms line the approach to Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine. 🌸

Photographed on February 20, 2014. These are the red plum blossoms along the approach to Kawagoe Hachimangu Shrine. 🌸

"Mimosa Draped in Spring Light" Mimosa, a flower that announces the coming of spring. I wandered through the park because I had to see those yellow blossoms. After a while, I happened upon a mimosa tree bathed in the light of dusk. The sinking sun backlit it, making each tiny flower glow as if translucent. In that soft light, it felt as if spring itself stood there. Japan’s spring arrives with warm light. I captured that gentle atmosphere in this single frame. 📍Location: Yamada Pond Park 📷Camera: Nikon Z6II 🔍Lens: 70-200mm f2.8 VR S

Tsukigase Plum Valley Plum Festival Now underway! At its peak♪ Please come and visit! This Sunday looks like it will be busy again. Saturday, which we worried about weather-wise, looks fine✨ Photo courtesy of Yasunori Okamoto

On March 4th, while on a business trip to Nagoya, I stopped by Hisaya Odori Park and took a photo under the Nagoya TV Tower with Kawazu cherry blossoms in full bloom.

Tsukigase Plum Valley Plum Festival Now underway! At its peak♪ Please come during a quiet weekday moment! It looks like this Sunday will be crowded again. The weather is a concern, but visitors who come on Saturday will likely be able to enjoy it more leisurely✨ Photo credit: Yasunori Okamoto

Tsukigase Plum Valley Plum Festival Now on! At peak bloom♪ Please come during a calm weekday time! On the hill opposite the Plum Museum stands a splendid weeping plum tree✨ Photo courtesy: Yasuki Okamoto

[Isehara Flower Report] 2026.03.03 We report on the flowering conditions around Isehara City. Okame cherry blossoms along Ōyama New Road are at their best. Soft pink blooms line the roadside, hinting at the arrival of spring. In Maruyama Castle Ruins Park, a few almond flowers were seen in bloom, but many buds remain. We look forward to further flowering.

Photographed on March 1, 2014. I went to see the Nakamachi Tourist Information Center exhibition “Kai-awase and Hina Doll Tour.” Today is the Doll Festival. 🎎

This photo was taken on a day during spring break when I had nothing planned. The cherry blossoms were just starting to open, and the spring weather put me in the mood for a walk, so I went out by myself. Since it was a rare chance, I decided to go somewhere I don’t usually visit and walked from Yamato Station to Seya Station. Along the way, I was drawn to a small shrine whose name I didn’t know and stopped by. The shrine grounds were almost empty, and I was struck by how old the place felt. Amid it all, an especially weathered torii gate and a single cherry tree looked so beautiful that I felt a sudden wave of nostalgia and took this photo.

This is a spring scene viewed from Motohakone in Kanagawa Prefecture. The combination of Mount Fuji, Lake Ashi, fresh green foliage, and a torii (shrine gate) looks like a painting.