Vintage landscape: Tokyo hanami

Cherry flower street, Tokyo, 1880s or 90s, by Kimbei Kusakabe, via The New York Public Library Commons on flickr“Cherry Flower-Street, at Mukojima, Tokio,” ca. 1880s -90s, by Kimbei Kusakabevia The New York Public Library Commons.

There’s a good article on the 2014 cherry blossom viewing (hanami) in Tokyo — which starts this week — here.

The arrival of the cherry blossom is keenly anticipated, with round-the-clock news reports providing updates on exactly where and when the fabled flowers will appear alongside all manner of sakura-themed promotions. Advertisements currently on display in the Tokyo Metro suggest that drinking Kirin beer will enhance the hanami experience, and should you be feeling peckish, McDonald’s has helpfully introduced a “cherry blossom burger”, complete with “pink buns”.

— Adrian Bridge, The Telegraph


*Photography Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs.  A cherry blossom photo from the same collection here.