Early Blooming Cherry Blossoms

In terms of beauty, cherry blossom is known as the Japanese botanical specialite of April. However, there is one that blooms ahead of time in chilly winter weather. Kawazu-zakura is a kind of cherry blossom tree that open its buds sometime between late January and early March. The flower colors somewhat more pinkish (and less whitish) than Somei-yoshino, a kind of cherry blossom that is most popularly known. I took the above photo of kawazu-zakura in my neoighborhood park in Tokyo a few days ago, but I was a little late to see the full-bloom, since leaves already start to grow, to have it's greeness bothering the pure pinkness. Unlikely to somei-yoshino, there are not many sites where we can see the mass-compositions of  Kawazu-zakura. One of the spots popularly known is the town of Kawazu in Shizuoka Pref where the breed of Kawazu-zakura is artificially invented. In the town of Kawazu, the trees are planted for 3km long along the river in the laidback landscape.