A Little Rain Ice and Snow Sakura Viewing

I had never spent time in Ueno Park before. There is a lot to see here. However if it is raining with ice and snow, it can be a little difficult. But I still wanted to see something besides the museum. When I was on the second floor we could see snow flakes falling into their Japanese style garden. 

That may have made me want to get out even more. Along with these views of blooming sakura trees. As to the cones, there were a lot of them. For days when the weather isn't so dark and gloomy. Because Ueno Park is a prime destination for hanami, sakura viewing parties. And from all the cones with poles, a lot of people must come here. 

But with this weather there were no crowds. That also made me want to wander along these avenues of beautiful trees. 

Some were strung with lights for night viewing. 

You will have to pardon the spots on some photographs. Like I said, rain plus ice plus snow made for a very wet walk in the park. But seeing snow flakes fall, that was joyful. 

There are sakura trees in many places in Ueno Park, not just along the walk ways. 

 So walk with me in the rain, under these trees.

Some of these trees have been here for a long time. Occasionally with the help of supports. 

Sakura Viewing in the Tokyo National Museum

 

 So how does one view sakura inside a building? The Tokyo National Museum did it by having a number of ukiyo-e and other items that were sakura related. The trick was finding them in the vast buildings.

While many people were taking numerous photographs, I spent most of my time viewing. I do have a couple pieces to share. This is Famous Places of Edo and Murasaki's Genji: Cherry Blossom Viewing at Gotenyama as an allusion to "The Festival of the Cherry Blossoms". The artist was Utawaga Hiroshige, considered the last great master of ukiyo-e

 Another Utawaga Hiroshige piece, Double Cherry Blossoms. I wish my photo did this justice, but the museum is pretty dark inside of course.

A more dramatic piece, Comparisons of True Courage: Kiyohime by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, dated 1856. You may wonder why he has the same last name as Hiroshige. It is because they both were trained as part of the Utagawa school and thus took that name, as other artists trained there did.

Kiyohime has turned into a dragon and is hiding in the bell but the priest who turned away from his love for her is cowering in fear at the sight of the dragon.

Last is part of a screen which has scenes from the Tales of Genji, by Kano (Seisen'in) Osanobu. This as are the ukiyo-e are all from the Edo era. Many of the sakura marked pieces were from that time. Just to note, I went with how the museum had the artist names on the name plates.