Does anyone know where this is?

Hello Everyone!

I'm going to be studying in Japan for one year starting from this September and I came across a picture that I found online a while ago.

I was wondering if anyone knows of this place? I really want to visit it during my time of my visit.

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/1181/700x5251270175251391388.jpg

Here's the link, let me know if any of you have been here, or know of where it is please!

Thanks!

Kris

I don't know where it is, but it looks like illuminated cherry blossoms. You can find such places everywhere in Japan in March or April (depending on the geography and officailly forecasted, ask locals). Other ubiquitous seasonal treats I would recommend are the fire works in summer and Joya-no-Kane at the end of year (if you don't mind Buddhism, and most temples don't mind if you are not Buddhist).

I first thought that it is the west moat of Hirosaki Castle, but the bridge seems slightly smaller than the one in Hirosaki Castle Park:
http://image.pixta.jp/image/thumb/32/329934e9c497605423e3fea0e14d03c4....

So, I am afraid I don't know where it is.

In any case, the cherry blossom season takes place between March and May on the four main islands of Japan. Hirosaki usually in early May:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2011.html

I just check out the picture and it looks like someone threw a photo of cherry blossoms into photoshop and posted it.

It doesn't make sense that green leaves would show up like that at night. The reflections of the blossoms on the water are exactly 90 degrees (copy/pasted, rotated, blurred),and the black space is obviously painted/airbrushed.

This makes it pretty hard to pinpoint where the original photo was taken, but even if you knew, it would not look like that "engineered" photo at night or daytime! I could be wrong and a very skilled photographer took it. If so, may he/she come forth to defend their work!

The best cherry blossom spots I've been to near water like that are:
- Ohori and Nishi Parks, Fukuoka City
- Chidori-ga-fuchi, near the Tokyo Imperial Palace
You can rent boats to go out on the lakes/rivers for a better experience.

I disagree that this is a photoshop job. Rather it looks to me like an example of a good night shot of illuminated cherry blossoms. The leaves will show up at night like that when properly illuminated, and the reflections are not a simple mirror image (look closely at the branches towards the bottom right). Also, if you do some quick processing in it you can see trees in the black background that wouldn't be there if it were airbrushed.

A good vantage point and maybe a tripod are all that are needed to take this photo, which are much easier to come by than the photoshop skills necessary to fake it.

Kris,

Do you know the site where you originally saw this picture? That could help track down its location.

I can't see any leaves on the trees in the OP's photo and the reflection looks just as it's supposed to be.

But either way, the following is from a Google image search on "nighttime cherry blossoms" in Japanese. Kris, if any of these pleases you as an alternative, just name it. We can easily track where the photo is coming from.

http://www.google.co.jp/images?q=%E5%A4%9C%E6%A1%9C&rls=com.microsoft:...

Kris,

Hi again. I think I found it. Don't you think it's the second photo in the following blog?
bin/blog/log/eid98.html

It says it's Garyu Park in Suzaki City, an hour from the popular Nozawa-onsen hot spring and ski resort. The water is a lake.

This is the official website of the park.
http://www.suzaka-kankokyokai.jp/garyuukouen.php

It says that this year's cherry blossom festival was held during Apr 4th to 30th and that the trees were lit up all during full-bloom period from 6pm to 10pm. You can enter the park for free, but you need to pay for things like the zoo or boats.

Hope you have fun!

Sorry, I failed to post the blog link properly. Here it is.
http://www.nozawa.jp/cgi-bin/blog/log/eid98.html

By the way, the park is in Nagano Prefecture. Depending on where you plan to live, you might want to stick to other cherry blossom spots in your neighborhood.

Yes, Garyu kouen park

http://k-kabegami.com/garyuyozakura/open/14.html

http://k-kabegami.com/garyuyozakura/index.html

Everyone thank you so much for your replies in helping me find this location!

Especially you Uco! Thank you so much. I'll be sure to take pictures and upload them here after I take them.

Thank you everyone!

Great job Uco!

Don't forget Yoshino as a cherry blossom viewing area. Arguably the most famous one in Japan. Take a look at www.town.yoshino.nara.jp.