Sakuyo

We’re back at that time of the year again—when spring makes its grand entrance in Japan through the blooming of the somei yoshino cherry trees.
One might think that, after nearly 20 years of living in Japan, another sakura season would simply feel like a recurring moment that marks the passage of time. But that’s not the case.

The aesthetic force of cherry blossoms is still so overwhelming that I never miss the chance to go out with my cameras, hunting for scenes that catch my eye.
This period is special for me because it's one of those rare times when my daily street photography naturally blends with my other photographic love: landscapes.

I’ve been shooting a lot these past few days. One of my favorite parts of being a photographer is sitting down to make a selection, and today I decided to share a few moments here. Some of the images in here were taken just a few hundred meters from my home.

You don’t need to go to famous landmarks to be amazed by Japan in late March and early April. The stillness of a small Shinto shrine adds to the beauty of the blossoms—and that peaceful silence you find in places untouched by the crowd is, to me, the real treasure.

A gray day doesn’t help, but still… very beautiful. One just has to wait for the light to change a little:

The pictures here are a mix of gear—shot with the Leica M10 and Summicron 35mm, the Sigma FpL paired with the 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN, and the unmistakable rendering of the Foveon sensor in the Sigma dp2 Quattro. Each tool brings its own flavor, I’ll leave you to see which is which ;)