Sakura Matsuri 2011

at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

May 1

I've mentioned in previous Sakura Matsuri reports that I normally don't photograph cosplayers at this event, but when the first cosplayer I saw was Deadpool, I just HAD to. Deadpool is everywhere!	The first girls in kimono I saw.	I'm not sure, but I think this is the same group that was cosplaying in kimono that I photographed last year.

A performance group.	A guy practicing the, I believe that is a shamisen.

The blossoms were so pink this year, the air actually looked like it was tinted pink.	These ladies were demonstrating the tea ceremony.	I believe their kimono are not yukata, but rather, tsukesage.

You can really learn a lot about good color combinations by studying what other people chose.	Green tea for free!	Three girls and a dolly.

Me and Carrie! Wearing the prototype of her brand new line of cupcake hats!	Me and Dave! We have to take one of these every year.

The torii.	A swimming turtle.

A view of the pond.	Turtles sunning themselves on the rocks, turtles keeping cool in the shade.

The line of people as they cross over the bridge.	I really like the black and gold combination!	Two friends

Once again, so many Japanese tourists and immigrants were amused by the white girl in yukata!	A beautiful view of the Japanese Hill and Pond Garden

The waterfall	Me with Yami, Damaris, and Carlos	Charles! Thank you for letting me borrow your sword.

A guide to the different types of cherry blossoms on display in the garden.	Two beautiful smiling children, and one beautiful shy child.

I just had to take a picture with them!	Two ladies inside the main events tent.	This girl is definitely a future cosplayer--she posed and hid her bag behind her back as soon as I asked to take her picture!

These next two photos came out pretty dark, unfortunately.	But when I brightened them up, you can see there were white cherry blossoms in the mix there!	A dad holding his adorable baby.

I really liked the color combinations this girl chose.	Mario Rob!	Although they were taken with my camera, David Ng posed Rob for these.

So this is kind of Mario Rob's first photoshoot with David Ng.	Albeit a mini one.	See, I was searching for a spring green yukata all year to wear to this festival, but once I saw this girl's kimono, I realized I probably should have been searching for mint green. So pretty!

A geisha!	My other exception to my not photographing cosplayers rule? Any Sailor Moon cosplayers, of course!	The parasols were really helpful, it was very sunny out for most of the day.

I need to learn the name of the garments the girl on the left is wearing.	It took a while, but eventually more and more people in kimono started showing up.	Photographers photographing photographers.

Photobomb!	Paul Karpey, aka Popecerebus.

The sunglasses match her kimono so well!	A new exhibit grown for this year, those were living branches twisted into little huts.	A view of the "ceiling" from the inside of the hut.

A view of the "doorways" from inside the hut.	Everyone who is wearing kimono is so friendly!	Me and Andrei! Ran into him completely randomly.

Linwood was nice enough to take this photo of me with my camera while I was posing for Paul.	In the back row: Vivian, Dave, Linwood, and Paul In the back row: Rob and Robert	A cherry blossom that I had found on the ground that I tucked into my hair.

Showing off my neck--how risqué!	David and I are completely wiped out after walking around a full day in kimono.

Other Pics (None taken by me)

Another shot of Dave and I with his camera.	This is why I wanted to borrow Charles's sword!

Mario Rob and I.