Japan Photo of the Week: Himeji Castle Sakura

I know I gave you a sakura (cherry blossom) photo last week, but cherry blossom season is so short and it totally consumes the whole nation, so I decided I should hit you with one more. This week we move to the Kansai region, specifically to Hyogo Prefecture, where we have Himeji Castle. Himeji Castle is one of the 3 most famous castles in Japan. It also just so happens that it is one of the best places for viewing cherry blossom. So in other words, Himeji Castle is worth checking out anytime of the year but sakura season just “puts the cherry on top” (sorry I couldn’t resist). When I went there I had intended to stay for only a few hours, but soon after arriving I ditched my previous plans and stayed all day. I have been to my fair share of “famous” cherry blossom spots and I can honestly say, Himeji Castle is easily one of the best.

Himeji Castle surrounded by cherry blossoms by Evan Pike

I told you last week the secret of making a good photograph of cherry blossoms is to find a good place and wait, which is exactly what I did here…Except this time, instead of waiting for somebody to walk into the perfect place in my frame I had to wait for every to get out of my way! With photography, especially in sometimes overcrowded Japan, patiences really is a virtue. If you can, you should check out Himeji Castle on a weekday when the crowds are considerably less. To see more photos of Himeji Castle check out Japan Photo Guide.

This photograph was taken by Evan Pike. If you would like to see more or buy this photograph, check out the gallery.

http://tofusando.blogspot.com Akoua Doffou

Awesome photo!
Evan

Thanks! Glad you like it. One of my personal favorites actually…
http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com Turner

Very nice – I know exactly the spot where you took that picture; I couldn’t find the right angle in that area. Let me know what you think of mine:

Keeping Pace in Japan’s Pictures

Evan

Yeah, I actually think where I took that photo is the best place to frame the castle with sakura.

You got some decent shots but the color is a little washed out and contrast could be a little better. Maybe I am wrong, but it looks like you took those in the middle of the day which maybe you know, but for others that do not, that is the absolute worst time to take photographs. The light is much better early in the morning and late in the afternoon. The time of day can really make the difference between an average snapshot and a beautiful photo that you would want to have framed on your wall. Seriously, it makes that much of a difference.

I do like the night shot of that famous tree in Maruyama Koen in Kyoto! Keep at it!

http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com Turner

Yeah, I know – it really wasn’t an issue with the time; I just got a new camera and was still fiddling with the settings. A lot of those shots were designed to keep close and away objects in the same focus.

Besides, I might have to settle with the middle of the day for a lot of my shots – I hate mornings. I do have some great sunset shots from Miyajima, even though I had an inferior camera:

Miyajima

http://exquisitelyboredinnacogdoches.blogspot.com/ Chris

Beautiful!
the overthinker

I won’t say it’s a classic Tourist Japan cliché shot as a lot of Japanese also love this sort of photo, so your taste is supported by the local masses. How many Japanese with cameras bigger than they are did you have to fight for position with? In my experience, cherry season brings out the fanatics with mega-expensive cameras and massive lenses and tripods. I took a few snaps of this year’s blooms, but the sky was a bit overcast and not a good background (I do like days with heavy grey cloud but strong sunlight. But washed-out blue-grey is flat and lifeless). Got some good ones last year of sakura and the sunset sky though. The reds and golds and pinks were very nice.

In this one the castle seems a bit distant, and the framing cherries a bit thin and top-lit (a spot of infill flash might bring their colours out a bit more).

I like Turner’s Drooping Cherry at Maruyama. Pretty cool.

Evan

haha, actually not as many as you (and I) would have thought. I was there at two different times of the day and the first time there was one other guy with a SLR there and second time I was alone at first but by the time I left there were about 4 others.

The reason the castle looks a bit distant is because I was using a wide angle lens. Your eye sees at about 50 and I shot this at about 28 so the castle appears a litter farther than it actually is. I did have some with fill flash but I just liked this one better. Just my personal taste.

the overthinker

I’m guessing this was the West Bailey then. With the wide lens the castle looks about as distant as it does from down on the flat. Myself I might have gone for a telephoto and got part of the keep framed by a few larger blossoms, but photography is of course all a matter of personal taste, as you pointed out. Be dreadful if we all agreed – or had to agree, rather.

There might of course be fewer people as you have to pay to get in. Talking of which, at a mere 500 yen, is not Himeji one of the great bargains of the tourist world? I found out recently that St Paul’s in London is over 2200 yen! (Obviously this doesn’t include free things like San Pietro in Vaticano or the Smithsonian…) In fact in general Japan is very cheap: I only know of two things aside from art galleries and amusement parks that cost over a thousand yen: Horyuji and Nikko Toshogu.

Steve Nordquist

Darn fine photo right where and how you took it. (28mm! Oh well; worked.)
I would have supposed it polite to take it in 2 shots, given that it’s a digicam shot, with a person in the frame who can be digitally removed by combining the unobscured portions of the photos.
But perhaps your camera makes hideous KA-CHIRRRRR! courtesy noises and you were avoiding archers from the castle parapets the whole time. Boy, you don’t want a shot of spring fever ruined by a gimmick arrow; cornsyrup all over.

Worse you’d have had to swap lenses for the money shot.

Those blossoms have the added bonus of helping people wait to look for volunteer vegetables and herbs, too….

Japan Photo of the Week: Himeji Castle Sakura

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