Sunday, April 18, 2010

Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival 2010


The word got around that the Cherry Blossom Festival was cancelled this year in memoriam the sailors who perished in the Cheonan sinking. Technically, this is true, but all the trappings were still there--not least, the cherry trees in bloom.


When you turn left down Yunjungno, it is cordoned off to car traffic. The first thing you encounter is a series of artworks on display, the theme of which appears to be flowers and branches juxtaposed with stuff that doesn't go with flowers and branches, especially plastic. Remember you can click on any image to see it full size.






And here my favorite (left) and least favorite, or dumbest, anyway:


There were also music acts, and I captured some of the sounds and put them in a little YouTube video, together with some pictures (it runs under three minutes):


But of course, the star of the show is the cherry blossoms. Last year, I attended at night, so I didn't really capture their natural beauty all that well. I hope to mmake up for that this time:





2 comments:

JIW said...

Good coverage~ And what a surprise to street performances ...ah I hope that picks up...really a thing in Japan

Chris said...

Funny thing, I went to the riverside part at Dangsan on Sunday. I couldn't have been but 2or 3 km from your park adventure, but there were no cherry blossoms on the trees there! In fact, I didn't stay long, it was overcast and a bit cool, despite which, the park was jam packed with folks! I give it 2 more weeks, and everything will be in full bloom and the weather will be more cooperative. Glad you had a good time.