Too Much Hanami

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Originally uploaded by me-spirit.

During the Cherry Blossom Season, Hanami parties are held at the local parks, to hang out and enjoy the flowers. Many offices take to the outdoors as well, sending an underling to save a good spot for the rest of his/her co-workers. This poor soul was bundled up and left to recover while his or her friends socialized elsewhere.

After visiting Chion-In, we unwittingly stumbled onto Maruyama Koen and the Hanami parties clustured around its famous weeping cherry tree. It was like a festival here, with food booths serving takoyaki,; college boys slamming down beer or chuhai and building pyramids with the empty cans; vendors selling antique kimonos and people chatting and milling about.

Hanami

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Originally uploaded by me-spirit.

We thought we missed Hanami but when we arrived in Kyoto, we were welcomed by an abundance of sakura, adding to Kyoto's allure.

We felt lucky to walk the Path of Philosophy during this time of year otherwise, the walk wouldn't have been as enchanting. One of our favorite days was a leisurely walk spent here.

At Himeji and Nijo Castles as well as Fushimi Inari and Chion-In, Cherry Blossoms were at their peak

The Kimono

The Kimono appears to be a hot trend on the catwalk. If I were taking the aforementioned pilates classes and had money (or a sugar daddy) to boot, I'd pick up the Alexander McQueen number.

All inspired by the wrap, fold or print of the traditional kimono:

To Boot

I've been a bit of a fashion whore, buying shoes and checking out magazines and deciding whether the latest look is too young for me. While I was in Japan this past Spring, BOOTS with anything seemed to be all the rage. True to the fashion rule of thumb, trends happen abroad in Europe and Asia before they hit our shores. The latest Lucky mag had quite a few spreads with women dressed much like this:



I don't know if I can rock the boots and mini look without booking a twice weekly pilates class.