Our Trip to Japan

[robyn]

Well - it only took me 2 years - but I finally finished organizing the pictures I took in Japan. There's food - flowers - architecture - etc. If these pictures don't convince you to go to Japan (especially in Cherry Blossom season) - nothing will.

Here's the link.

Robyn

[Bu Pun Su]

When is it exactly the Cherry Blossom season?

Do accomodations become much more expensive during that time?

Thanks for sharing many nice pictures ... I wish they're more food pictures

[thelobster]

When is it exactly the Cherry Blossom season?

Do accomodations become much more expensive during that time?

Thanks for sharing many nice pictures ... I wish they're more food pictures 

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I was helping friends make last-minute reservations during cherry-blossom season this year for Kyoto, and even two weeks before the date there were simply no rooms to be found in Kyoto through the online booking sites. So I don't think individual rooms actually change their prices, but the more reasonably priced ones tend to be booked far in advance.

[thelobster]

When is it exactly the Cherry Blossom season?

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I think it hit its peak this year around the very end of March, but it all depends on the weather of course. And it's different for different parts of the country.

Oh, and nice pictures, Robyn!

Edited May 19, 2008 by thelobster (log)

[robyn]

When is it exactly the Cherry Blossom season?

Do accomodations become much more expensive during that time?

Thanks for sharing many nice pictures ... I wish they're more food pictures 

←

Cherry blossom season takes place at various times in various parts of the country. We were there in April - and caught the "season" in the middle of the country (as opposed to the south or north).

Our rooms were normal price rooms - but we booked them far in advance (and kept our fingers crossed that we would hit some of cherry blossom season). People in Japan follow the season with great attention - there are web sites devoted to when and where trees will flower. When it is apparent that blossoms will be at their height at a particular time in a particular place - rooms sell out very quickly.

As for food pictures - I am far from an expert on Japanese culture. But so many of the restaurants we went to were so small - and intimate - that it was like eating in someone's house. And the people were - in general - very reserved. I would have felt very awkward taking pictures. And I never saw anyone taking pictures of food in restaurants - or food basements in department stores for that matter. We were almost always the only western people in the restaurants where we dined - and the food basements - and I thought it best to do what seemed culturally appropriate. Note that the Japanese people take tons of pictures (I think everyone at the cherry blossom festivals had camera cell phones and were sending cherry blossom pictures to friends - as did people at various shrines and other "tourist" locations - so the absence of cameras in restaurants and stores kind of indicated to me that it wasn't appropriate). Even at the cherry blossom festival in Osaka (the street food pictures) - we were always careful to buy some of the food first - and then ask the vendors in the food stalls if it was ok to take pictures. They all said yes - but a food stall at a street festival is different than a formal meal.

Also - because my husband spoke a little Japanese (gosh it's a hard language to learn) - I think that putting a camera between us and the people in these more formal places would have limited our interaction with them. We had much more fun trying to communicate - talk - we also used a lot of hand gestures - than trying to get pictures. I have lots of memories of delicious food - and enjoyable meals where we tried to bridge the culture gap just a bit - and those to me are more important than pictures.

Perhaps people who live in Japan can tell me whether I was more sensitive than necessary (although I would always rather be safe than sorry). Robyn

[Hiroyuki]

Taking photos in supermarkets and other stores:

Most supermarkets in Japan prohibit you from taking photos of their interior (and even the exterior in some cases). That's the problem that beset us foodbloggers, Helen, smallworld, and me when doing our respective foodblogs.

I can't speak for restaurants. Some restaurants may be lenient than others, but you should ask for permission before you take photos.

[robyn]

Thank you for the information Hiroyuki. I can tell you that we had fabulous fun in many food "basements" without pictures. My husband is a somewhat good looking (if I don't say so ) middle aged man - and when he spoke Japanese to all the young ladies who were asking us to sample and buy their food - they always giggled in such a delightful way. I guess it is unusual for a western person to speak any Japanese. One thing I can say is that any effort to learn even a little Japanese before a trip to Japan will be richly rewarded. Robyn

[Culinista]

Hi Robyn,

I have never had problems taking pictures of food in restaurants, the with the exception of Sukiyabashi Jiro. In fact, the popular "Lumix" camera line has a food photo setting.

Street stalls and market vendors, on the other hand, often object to photos, as Hiroyuki says.

[prasantrin]

Street stalls and market vendors, on the other hand, often object to photos, as Hiroyuki says.

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That's probably because a lot of them are yakuza. Minor members, but still part of the "family".

-Robyn--I think your husband is pretty good-looking, too!

[robyn]

And today is my husband's birthday (won't say how many years - let's just say he gets Social Security payments).

I just got a new Lumix camera - the one with 8.1 megapixels and 10 times zoom. It has the food setting (which I haven't tried yet). Cute little camera for those of us who like to travel light. At least in the US - best deal on the camera is on Amazon.

I think I am a person who can either take pictures - or talk. And when I'm a stranger in a strange land - I tend to choose talking (which is usually harder than taking pictures - but frequently more rewarding in terms of establishing connections with people). Robyn