Yang Ming Mountain

Yoshino Cherry Blossoms (吉野櫻)

It's sakura season here in Taiwan and the blossoms are currently blooming all over the country! In my last post about the Taiwan Cherry Blossoms (山櫻花) I posted about a type of cherry blossom that is endemic to Taiwan. Today I'm going to post about an imported variety of cherry blossom that comes from Japan and is probably the much more popular version. 

Taiwan has a few different types of cherry blossoms which bloom between February and April every year - The type of sakura I'm posting about today are known as "Yoshino Cherries" (吉野櫻) and are probably the most well-loved of all the species of cherry blossoms in Taiwan. 

During this time of the year, it is normal to see your Taiwanese friends posting photos on social media from Japan where they go to specifically see the blossoms while others visit hot spots like Alishan (阿里山), Yangming Mountain (陽明山), Wuling Farm (武陵農場) and Danshui's Tian-Yuan Temple (天元宮) to see them taking part in a tradition known as "flower viewing" (花見).  

As spring rolls around in Taiwan we are lucky to have a few different types of cherry blossoms, but also Peach Blossoms (桃花), Tung Blossoms (油桐花) and Taiwan's national flower the Plum Blossom (梅花) all of which create a lot of tourism for places where the blossoms are growing for this type of flower viewing. 

Each type of blossom has a specific purpose - Tung Blossoms are known as "Hakka flowers" and are said to represent Hakka culture while plum blossoms are the "official" flower of Taiwan and it is common to see them depicted on all sorts of government emblems as well as on the New Taiwan Dollar, the currency of Taiwan. 

Cherry blossoms on the other hand are important to Taiwan not only because of their beauty but because of Taiwan's close relationship with Japan and Japanese culture. The culture of "Hanami" (花見) which is a traditional Japanese custom of flower viewing and respecting their beauty is an activity that is just as popular in Taiwan with people of all ages as it is in Japan. This is why people travel all around the country and in some cases even travel to Japan to take part in a custom that is shared and widely respected by people in both nations. 

Yoshino Cherry Blossoms (吉野櫻) 

There are debates as to the origin of the Yoshino Cherry, but they are believed to have originated in the Yoshino district (吉野郡) of Nara which is where they get their name. The trees are mostly ornamental and are loved for their fragrant light-pink blossoms and the manageable size of the tree.

In Japan, the trees were thought to represent clouds and thus represented the impermanent nature of life, a Buddhist concept known in Japan as "Mono no Aware" (物の哀れ) which is translated as "an empathy towards things." This concept is a reflection of the Japanese people's awareness for the reality of life and how all things, even beautiful things will eventually come to an end. 

The trees started to be imported to Taiwan during the Japanese-colonial period between 1895-1945 and from that time on the Japanese appreciation of cherry blossoms was appropriated as part of Taiwan's cultural heritage. Taiwan and Japan share a lot of cultural similarities due to the colonial period and even though that period ended over 70 years ago and isn't looked upon as an entirely positive experience, the people of Taiwan and Japan share a lot of respect for each other and Taiwan's development wouldn't have been so successful if it weren't for Japan's influence. 

That appreciation was put on display after the devastating 2011 Tohuku earthquake (東北地方太平洋沖地震) where Taiwan became the country which donated the most amount of money and resources to help those affected by the earthquake and the tsunami that followed. The generosity of the Taiwanese people didn't go unnoticed and as part of their appreciation, Japan took out a full page ad in Taiwan's UDN newspaper thanking the people of the country for their solidarity and generosity during such a devastating experience. 

It was fitting that the ad displayed not only the Japanese people's gratitude for their friend and neighbour but also a cherry blossom which displayed the closeness and solidarity of the two cultures.  

The sakura shots I'm posting today were all taken on Yangming Mountain in Taipei and I focused on the blossoms rather than landscapes. In technical terms most of the shots were taken with an aperture of f/2.8 meaning that the subject will be in focus while the backgrounds will be blurred causing an effect photographers refer to as "bokeh" and is only really achievable with certain types of lenses.

I thought that as I had posted last year landscape shots of these sakura at Tian-Yuan Temple that this year I would instead focus on the cherry blossoms themselves and let people enjoy the photos in a different way. 

If you are in Taiwan or Japan right now, it is the best time of the year to view these blossoms. If you have time make sure to use it to get out and see them. The people at Round Taiwan Round published an excellent guide of where people can see them, so check it out and enjoy one of Taiwan's most beautiful flower seasons! 

If you have any questions or comments feel free to comment below or get in touch with me in the contact section below!


Silver Grass (芒花)

Growing up in Canada, it was always really easy to tell when Autumn rolled around - Autumn meant that school had started, Thanksgiving was coming and Halloween was around the corner. Before I arrived in Taiwan I had never actually realized how popular Canada was as not only a travel destination, but a brand name as well. I had wrongly assumed that when people thought about my country that they would probably be scared away by our harsh winters - Surprisingly though, people always ask about the beautiful Autumn colours and how our iconic maple leaves all turn red before falling to the ground in winter.

Taiwanese people have a great respect for nature and people of all ages and walks of life enjoy the many different blooming seasons of Taiwan’s various kinds of flora (and fauna?) and just like in Canada, a sure fire way to know that Autumn has rolled around is to see the beautiful beige silver grass growing on the mountains, hills and along the side of the roads.

As I've mentioned before in posts about water liliestiger liliescherry blossoms, etc. Taiwan has a multitude of flowering species and throughout the year you will find different species growing throughout the country. To help me out a bit I purchased a (Chinese-language) book a few years back that introduces all the species of flowers blooming in Taiwan, when they bloom and where the best spots to view them are. The book has been an amazing tool during my travels because it has let me know when and where to go check something out when I'm planning my weekly or monthly schedules.

Silver grass or Miscanthus Sinensis is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to East Asia growing in Taiwan, Korea, Japan and China. In both Taiwan and Japan, the plant is widely respected and during the Autumn months (October - December) people will flock to see it covering the mountains and hillsides. Coincidentally in North America attitudes toward the plant are exactly the opposite and it is considered an invasive species and is usually destroyed. It's interesting that the so-called “weed” is reviled in one area and highly respected in another.

During the months of October to December you can pretty much see wild silver grass growing anywhere throughout the country. If you want to see a lot though, or you want to get some photos in a field full of it - you're going to have to do a bit of a hike as it grows more commonly on mountain tops. The most popular places to see silver grass in the north is along the historic Caoling Trail (草嶺古道) between New Taipei City and Yilan County as well as on Taipei city’s beautiful Yang Ming Mountain (陽明山)

I decided to do a bit of research in my handy book as to where would have the most silver grass and I found out that the western peak of Da Tun Mountain (大屯山西峰) was likely to have the most, but also an excellent view of Taipei city as well as Danshui and Bali. I figured it would be a perfect location to get shots of Taiwan’s Autumn flower and some landscape shots as well.

When I got to the top of the western peak I wasn't disappointed in the slightest as the view of the city was spectacular and there was more than enough of Taiwan’s Autumn flower to get some really nice shots. I'm quite pleased with what I got, but I'm going to have to go back to Datun mountain again in the next little while to finish the rest of the peaks so I can post about that too!

There isn't much information online in English about silver grass, but take my word for it, it's pretty cool to see Taiwan’s typically green mountain tops changing colours during Autumn and if you are in Taipei, just look towards Yang Ming mountain from any vantage point between now and December and you'll notice that it doesn't look like it usually does!

You've still got some time left for this years crop of silver grass. If you haven't seen it yet, a nice hike might be a good idea for a day trip on the weekend!

I see the coast!