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Photos

Don’t leave your car parked under cherry trees

Cherry blossoms and leaves covering a car in Vancouver, BC

I always thought it would be fun to live in these cherry tree planted streets in Vancouver… except for cherry petals and leaves clinging to your car.  Oh well, better this than snow, I say.

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Photos

Fallen but not forgotten

Fallen cherry blossoms and cherry leaves in a

While admiring cherry trees in their full autumn splendor last week, I was surprised by all the similarities between these two seasons in the life of a cherry tree: how the blossoms (in spring) and the leaves (in autumn) end up covering the sidewalk and the street. How beautiful it looks and also how deadly slippery the blossoms and leaves when wet.  (I don’t think I’ll ever forget slipping on a carpet of petals, two years ago, during a rainstorm, and almost breaking my leg).

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Photos

Spring versus Autumn Cherry Trees

Cherry trees sure know how to end the season in style.  Look at these colors!

Spring versus Autumn Cherry Trees

Which one do you like best:  delicate cherry petals or colorful sakura leaves? Vote in the comments section (click on the red heart on top right) or on Facebook.

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Photos

Autumn Cherry Tree

Here’s a beautiful umbrella-shaped cherry tree with golden leaves.  It seems even the birds are autumn leaves viewing!

Autumn Cherry Tree

This could be the last week-end for autumn leaves viewing, so grab your camera and snap some pictures of your favorite cherry tree.  Like us on Facebook and share your pics with us!

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Photos

Spring versus Autumn Cherry Trees

It’s sad when cherry blossoms fall, but it’s a beautiful sadness.

Spring versus Autumn Cherry Trees

Which one do you like best:  fallen cherry blossoms in spring or fallen sakura leaves in autumn?

Vote in the comments section (click on the red heart on top right) or on Facebook.

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Films

VCBF 2012 media coverage

Longing to see cherry blossoms again? Check out the amazing media coverage of the 2012 Vancouver Cherry Blossom festival!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VB96-Fn4_g?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

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Films

The tsunami and the cherry blossom (movie review)

The tsunami and the cherry blossom is an award-winning documentary by Lucy Walker. A member of our cherry team attended the screening at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival last Sunday and submitted this review.

The movie begins with an unedited 10 minute footage of the tsunami showing the dark wave overtaking everything as people watched from the mountain.

The movie focuses on the devastating effects of the tsunami that took place on March 11, 2011 in Japan. As the recovery efforts continue, cherry trees  (including a one-thousand-year-old cherry tree) start to bloom and bring hope to people hit by the tsunami.

As Japanese people talked about their love for sakura, I’ve learned a lot of things:

  • Sakura (the Japanese word for cherry blossoms) means “beautiful but not showy”
  • Japanese have words to describe the levels of blossoms on the trees:  ichibu (10% of blossoms), Nibu (20%), Sanbu (30%), Gobusaki (50%)
  • The word “maichiru” means that when blossoms fall, they look like they’re dancing.
  • The word “hana ikada” (which means “flower raft”) is used to describe floating petals
  • Tokyo Cherry Blossom Festival was cancelled after the earthquake and they asked people to refrain from hanami (picnic under the blossoms) as a respect for people who lost loved ones.

The movie shows beautiful images of cherry blossoms (courtesy of director of photography Aaron Phillips): the moon through branches, an accelerated visual of a bud turning into a blossom, sunrise on the branches, a wedding under cherry trees, a carp swimming under floating petals.

Some Japanese people blamed the flowers for looking so relaxed after the tragedy, but spring comes when it’s time ; there is always beauty and terror in nature.

The end credits alternates with haiku about cherry blossoms. Among them:

“a beautiful spring night vanished while we looked at cherry blossoms” (Basho)

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Photos

Autumn cherry trees by Joseph Lin

Our cherry scout Joseph Lin submitted this amazing photo of autumn cherry trees taken at Point Grey yesterday.  Take a peak at the rest of his photo album.

Image

Grab your camera before all the leaves fall off and post your pics on our Facebook page.

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Photos

Autumn Cherry trees by Linda Poole

VCBF Director Linda Poole submitted this beautiful photo of autumn cherry trees in her neighborhood in Vancouver.

Autumn Cherry trees by L.Poole

“Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower” Albert Camus (1913-1960)

Take a picture of your favorite cherry tree (with its beautiful autumn colors) and share it with us on Facebook.

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Photos

Spring versus Autumn cherry trees

Is it true that a single blossom is worth a thousand leaves?

Spring versus Autumn cherry trees

Which one do you like best: cherry blossoms in spring or sakura leaves in autumn?

Vote for your favorite photo (Spring or Autumn) in the comments section (click on the red heart on top right) or on Facebook.