Sakura Petals
"Sakura Petals" is an exploration of the rich traditions of Japan. It was edited in 5 independent videos. "The Shoguns" (41 min) brings the viewer to Nikko, the most famous shrine in the country, the burial place of the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate clan. We stop in Kamakura, the birthplace of the first shogun family in Japan, a city full of Zen Buddhist temples. We also visit Tokyo, with its beautiful museum, parks, and temples. "The Samurai" (40 min) starts in Kurashiki, one of the few cities in Japan that was not bombed during WW2, Okayama, with its Crow Castle and the beautiful garden and Nagasaki with its Memorial Park. We continue to Hagi that has the best-preserved samurai quarter ending up in the holy island of Miya Jima watching in the night the tide covering its floating Tori. "Temples and Zen" (48 min) brings the viewer to Kyoto, the capital of Japan for 1000 years, with dry or moss Zen temple gardens, bamboo groves and secluded pavilions. We visit the Kyoto museum, the best museum for Japanese art. We end the day in Gion district where we watch a representation of traditional Zen arts. "Emperors and Geishas" (31 min) continues the visit to Kyoto with the Imperial Palace and a geisha spotting session in the Geisha quarter in Gion. We visit Nara, the first-ever settled capital of Japan for only 75 years, full of roaming deer and its remarkable temples, pagodas, and shrines where is located the largest Buddha statue in Japan. "The Monks" (30 min) starts Kanazawa, that has also a famous garden in Japan and a temple dedicated to Ninja warriors and Takayama, a place that preserve the tradition of Japanese carpentry ending up in the eerie city of Koya San, the world headquarters of the esoteric Buddhist sect, Shingon, a city full of temples and a famous cemetery for the history of Japan.
