"I'm fascinated by the Japanese fashion scene
Just an American girl, in the Tokyo streets"
(Gwen Stefani, "Harajuku Girls")
This past Saturday was a perfectly sunny and warm spring day. Sam had to work so I spent most of the day with my sister, brother-in-law, nephew and niece, brunching, strolling around Park Slope, and visiting the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for the annual cherry blossom festival, Sakura Matsuri. There were trees that hadn't reached peak bloom yet, so this weekend would be a nice time to visit the gardens as well, but they won't have any performances or activities featuring Japanese culture.
I previously posted about cherry blossom festivals in "Sakura" and "Spring 2011 Events", but it had been several years since I last went to the one in Brooklyn, and I was surprised to see how many young people came dressed up to show off their Japanese street style-inspired fashions; and I don't mean traditional kimonos or geishas, though I did see some of those. I'm talking about cosplayers, like Harajuku girls meets manga and anime and Sailor Moon, meets Goths and top hats and parasols. Not really my thing, but it was interesting to look at.
I snapped a quick photo of a mini fashion parade of people, but the sights for me were the lovely cherry blossoms.
We walked back to my apartment and ended the day by ordering Japanese food for dinner and watching Ice Age on the Blu-ray player. I've always liked Ice Age, and Peter wanted to watch it, but have you ever noticed that there are no female characters in the first film other than the baby's mother who just disappears? (I found an article that goes into more detail on The Hathor Legacy, a site that "searches for good female characters in TV, books, movies, comics and other media," called "Ice Age: setting female characters back a few millennia...".)
This past Saturday was a perfectly sunny and warm spring day. Sam had to work so I spent most of the day with my sister, brother-in-law, nephew and niece, brunching, strolling around Park Slope, and visiting the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for the annual cherry blossom festival, Sakura Matsuri. There were trees that hadn't reached peak bloom yet, so this weekend would be a nice time to visit the gardens as well, but they won't have any performances or activities featuring Japanese culture.
I previously posted about cherry blossom festivals in "Sakura" and "Spring 2011 Events", but it had been several years since I last went to the one in Brooklyn, and I was surprised to see how many young people came dressed up to show off their Japanese street style-inspired fashions; and I don't mean traditional kimonos or geishas, though I did see some of those. I'm talking about cosplayers, like Harajuku girls meets manga and anime and Sailor Moon, meets Goths and top hats and parasols. Not really my thing, but it was interesting to look at.
I snapped a quick photo of a mini fashion parade of people, but the sights for me were the lovely cherry blossoms.
We walked back to my apartment and ended the day by ordering Japanese food for dinner and watching Ice Age on the Blu-ray player. I've always liked Ice Age, and Peter wanted to watch it, but have you ever noticed that there are no female characters in the first film other than the baby's mother who just disappears? (I found an article that goes into more detail on The Hathor Legacy, a site that "searches for good female characters in TV, books, movies, comics and other media," called "Ice Age: setting female characters back a few millennia...".)
Those trees are gorgeous!! Love them. They are my favorite part of spring. :)
ReplyDeleteThose are some gorgeous shots of the cherry blossom trees! And that's a great observation on Ice Age. I'm always pro female characters in movies/books, especially strong female characters! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks~ they're one of my favorite parts of spring, too!
ReplyDeleteAll the flowers look so pretty! I was actually in Japan a few years ago just when the cherry blossoms were starting to bloom. And while there were only a few blooms, it was really pretty and wish I had been there a few weeks later to see it all. Although it may just be a little easier to instead make it to DC for their festival instead. And actually I have been to that festival as well, but was only 4 or 5 at the time.
ReplyDeleteAnd just letting you know, I'm stopping by from the weddingbee boards! I post as Miss Ariel there.
I would love to see the cherry blossoms in Japan! The festival in DC is great, but I didn't get a chance to check it out this time.
DeleteOh cherry blossoms! They are such a gorgeous bloom. Lucky duck, you :)
ReplyDelete