By: Alex
Japan has distinct seasons, with snow in winter and cherry blossoms in spring. Photographer Hiroki.Nose (@hirokingraphy) captured a rare sight: cherry blossoms blanketed in snow, showcasing the beauty of two seasons at once. His tweet reads: “A collaboration between cherry blossoms and snow — a rare natural miracle.” The photo series has since garnered over 170,000 likes and 37,000 retweets, indicating that many Japanese netizens found the photographer’s shots absolutely stunning.
?Cherry blossoms and snow collaboration???
— Hiroki.Nose (@hirokingraphy) March 22, 2021
A rarely seen natural miracle? pic.twitter.com/nR9TPrkTjZ
▲ “A collaboration between cherry blossoms and snow — a rare natural miracle.”
In the comments, some netizens described the scene captured by Hiroki.Nose as “sakura fubuki” (cherry blossom snowfall). While, literally speaking, Hiroki.Nose’s photos do show both “cherry blossoms” and “snow,” the correct usage of “sakura fubuki” refers to cherry blossom petals being blown off by the wind and fluttering through the air like falling snow. In fact, some users have pointed out that the proper Japanese term for cherry blossoms meeting heavy snow should be “sakura kakushi.”
▲ (photo by hirokingraphy @Twitter)
Of course, everyone wanted to see such beauty in person, so many netizens wondered where exactly the photos were taken. However, Hiroki.Nose never revealed the location. Some guessed the large cherry blossom tree in the photo might be the Miharu Takizakura (Miharu’s Waterfall Cherry Tree) in Miharu Town, Fukushima Prefecture, or the “Yukizakura” (Snow-Splitting Cherry) that blooms earlier on Mount Kuromori in Kochi Prefecture — but the photographer denied both. One report claimed the photos were taken in Saitama Prefecture, though no further details were provided.
▲ (photo by hirokingraphy @Twitter)
▲ (photo by hirokingraphy @Twitter)
Source: Hiroki.Nose