Japanese Cherry Blossom in Amsterdam

The "Amsterdamse Bos"

A parklike wood of 935 ha, started to be constructed (mostly by digging by hand) in 1934 as an employment project and is in use for recreationel purposes.

In the year 2000 the former yard where trees were grown was planted with 400 Japanese cherry trees or Prunus serrulata (there is a large Japanese community in Amstelveen, the nearby suburb of Amsterdam, because a lot of Japanese companies are situated here, for example Canon and Sony).

In Japan the cherry tree is considered holy. When the trees blossom Japanese people take a holiday and meditate, think about the beauty of life. The short but abundant beauty of the flowering makes Japanese people sigh and say "It was so beautiful, but it lasted so shortly...."

I chose this spot because of the atmosphere it brings. The beauty for the eye, the fragrance, its all about creating an atmosphere. But these trees blossomed a month earlier then they used to, as a result of a warm winter, temperature rise because the climate is changing, due to the fact that the atmosphere is changing.

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Europe / Netherlands

Lat: 52° 18' 12.81" N
Long: 4° 50' 8.32" E

→ maps.google.com [EXT]

Precision is: Unknown / Undeclared.

Nikon D-70, 15 mm Nikkor, base of Roundshot 220VR as rotator, Photoshop, PTGui, QTVRAS