The Petals Start to Fall and the Leaves Come Out

This has been an excellent sakura (cherry blossom) season. There are still a lot of petals on the trees, but the leaves are pushing their way out. I've done a bit of walking in the area near my house to capture some of my favorite scenes.

This is the main hall of Shinyodo Temple.


This is a pond at Kurodani Temple covered with fallen cherry blossom petals.


This is the main gate of Kurodani Temple, which appears to float over a sea of cherry blossoms.


This is a fine statue of Amida Buddha at Kurodani.


This is one of the most unusual sights you can see in Kyoto: a canal entirely covered by fallen cherry blossom petals. When a duck swims through, it leaves a black trail. There are also ornamental carp in this canal, and sometimes they surface through the petals.