Leading Cherry Blossom Photo Workshops means scouting areas for years before our workshop leaders add them to JDS’s list of existing cross country destinations for our annual sakura photo tours.  Even during the height of the pandemic, our workshop leaders were taking the necessary safety precautions and exploring the Tohoku region of Japan.  Morioka in Iwate prefecture was one of the places they took a particular interest in, as Morioka is the northern most city to have some of their sakura trees designated as natural monuments by Japan.  Cherry blossom viewings tend to circle around one tree in particular, the Ishiwari, which means ‘breaking stone’, which is precisely what the cherry tree has done to flourish.  The tree alone is nearly 11 meters (36 feet) and a maximum circumference of 4.7 meter (15.4 feet).  The stone that the cherry blossom tree appears to be growing from is itself 21 meters (68.9 feet) in circumference.  The tree is estimated to be 400 years old and Edo Higan (Prunus itosakura) sakura variety, named ‘Higan’ after the Japanese name for the spring equinox, the time when they are most often in full bloom.  Climate change has had some impact on this time, but our main workshop leader is always checking and re-checking weather charts and blooming schedules to make sure participants who join JDS’s cross country Cherry Blossom photo tours take home memory cards full of images and video that are one of a kind.  Morioka is also home to the Somei Yoshino (Prunus yedoensis) cherry blossom variety boasting over 1,000 trees, spread across large parts of the city.  If you’d like to explore Morioka and see breathtaking cherry blossoms in full bloom, then join JDS for the Cherry Blossom photo workshop tour of a lifetime!