apanese people love cherry blossoms. They love cherry blossoms because they fall in a very short period of time.
While they enjoy cherry blossoms in fullbloom, they also love "leafy cherry blossoms. The leafy cherry blossoms “Hazakura” are the new leaves growing from the cherrytrees after they are in full bloom, and the white of the flowers and the green of the leaves are in opposition to each other. This is because Japanese peoplefeel the grace of the departing cherry tree and the breath of new life. This photo was taken on the waterway surrounding the castle where the emperor resides. I chose to focus on the reflections of the cherry blossoms on the surface of the water. I thought this would create a stronger image of the cherry blossoms.日本人は桜を愛している。なぜなら、桜の花がとても短い期間で散ってしまうからである。日本人は満開の桜を楽しむ一方で、「葉桜」を好む。葉桜とは満開を過ぎた桜の木から新しい葉が伸びて、花の白色と葉っぱの緑が拮抗する様子である。日本人はそこに去っていく桜の潔さと新しい生命の息吹を感じるからだ。この写真は天皇が住むお城の周りを囲む水路で撮影したものだ。私はあえて水面に映り込む桜の花にフォーカスした。そのことでより強く桜の花をイメージできると思ったからだ。
