The last of my photos, from when I ended up going to Sakura Matsuri on Saturday.

It was over all hot and stressful, way too many people as usual, but I managed to enjoy myself by sticking only with my bby Laura, my church sister Krystle and later on with a couple of the local gals.

This specific set was from a few days before their Sakura Matsuri weekend, when I was invited by a friend to dress up and take photos for press for that weekend.

BBG had tried to start this whole 'Parasol Society' thing, trying to usher lolitas into being part of the park's attraction. I personally don't like it at all, having stopped wearing lolita to BBG because of the harassment from photographers and other press for pictures and whatnot. Throughout the years they started going in harder and harder, making SM less of a time for picnic and comfort and just annoyance. Now that the Matsuri is turned into more like an outdoor con, and the BBG exploiting local lolitas to participate in 'parasol games' or cheap tea parties while being oogled by tourists like a petting zoo (with rising ticket prices every year and no sort of comp? No thanks.), I refuse to dress up and play into that. I only really went for this press shoot as a favor for a friend.

Anyways, enough of my ranting. You can see some of the press stuff here~ Gothamist, New York MetroParents, and I've heard I was seen on NY1 or something as well.

edit: Video from NY1:
More pictures under the cut~

I find it a blessing that nowadays you can enjoy iconic events and things from all over the world. Hanami season has always been a favorite part of spring since my weaboo days in high school. Back then it was always about it simply being Japanese and often seen in anime and stuff like that, but as I got older I started to enjoy the actual beauty of the cherry blossoms, and all flowering trees similar to it. I don't know if I'll ever be a serious horticulturist, but growing up with my mom who always had a green thumb, I wouldn't be surprised.

I was lucky enough to see most of the trees in almost every blooming stage, which made them more fascinating to me. This specific set of photos were from a lolita meet I had a week before Brooklyn's Botanical Garden's Sakura Matsuri.