Location: Kawazu River, Kawazu, Shizuoka, Japan Timestamps: 08:18, 08:20, and 08:40 on February 14, 2024
Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP ① 68 mm ISO 100 for 1/100 sec. at ƒ/10 ② 28 mm ISO 100 for 1/160 sec. at ƒ/9.0 ③ 31 mm ISO 100 for 1/200 sec. at ƒ/7.1
My first visit to the Kawazu-Zakura Cherry Blossom Festival was on March 2, 2022, two days after the festival had officially ended. This year, I timed my visit to the festival to coincide with a photo shoot at Imaihama Beach, which is just a 10-minute from the Kawazu River where the cherry trees are situated.
If, like me, you travel with a border collie, driving is the only option since larger pets are not allowed on trains. From central Tokyo, it’s a 2-hour 30-minute to 3-hour drive (depending on traffic). Kawazu Town is only 185 km southwest of central Tokyo, so even if you avoid the expressways, you can still reach this destination in less than 4 hours if you leave early enough in the morning.
For photographers attending this festival, try to schedule your visit on a weekday early in the morning. With very few crowds, it becomes easy to set up a tripod to bracket your shots, take long exposures of the river, or capture some panoramas.
I’ve gone into greater details on how to access the festival by car and have gathered with great info, downloadable PDF maps, and have Google Maps links to 3 of the larger parking lots. The write-up is less than a 3-minute read (link in Profile).
1 Comment
Chasing Early Bloom: Kawazu-Zakura Festival 2024
Location: Kawazu River, Kawazu, Shizuoka, Japan
Timestamps: 08:18, 08:20, and 08:40 on February 14, 2024
Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
① 68 mm ISO 100 for 1/100 sec. at ƒ/10
② 28 mm ISO 100 for 1/160 sec. at ƒ/9.0
③ 31 mm ISO 100 for 1/200 sec. at ƒ/7.1
My first visit to the Kawazu-Zakura Cherry Blossom Festival was on March 2, 2022, two days after the festival had officially ended. This year, I timed my visit to the festival to coincide with a photo shoot at Imaihama Beach, which is just a 10-minute from the Kawazu River where the cherry trees are situated.
If, like me, you travel with a border collie, driving is the only option since larger pets are not allowed on trains. From central Tokyo, it’s a 2-hour 30-minute to 3-hour drive (depending on traffic). Kawazu Town is only 185 km southwest of central Tokyo, so even if you avoid the expressways, you can still reach this destination in less than 4 hours if you leave early enough in the morning.
For photographers attending this festival, try to schedule your visit on a weekday early in the morning. With very few crowds, it becomes easy to set up a tripod to bracket your shots, take long exposures of the river, or capture some panoramas.
I’ve gone into greater details on how to access the festival by car and have gathered with great info, downloadable PDF maps, and have Google Maps links to 3 of the larger parking lots. The write-up is less than a 3-minute read (link in Profile).