The tree was in full bloom! Thanks to all who attended and for their contributions to making it a memorable hanami. Deep apologies to those who never made it into any of the photos. Thanks also go to Jeremy and Tateda-san for their contributions to the gallery.

12/22 Tokyo--> New Delhi 12/22

12/24 --> Alwar (Sarisker wildlife preserve)

12/25 --> Jaipur, the Pink city

12/26 --> Agra and the Taj Mahal

12/27--> New Delhi

1/3 --> Goa and the beach

1/6 -->Delhi

1/7 --> Tokyo (Arr. 1/8)

For the first Foreign Section Trust O-Hanami, the prime spot was secured under the cherry tree that blossoms early every year.

About 60 people attended from 11am to 7pm. About 10 stayed until 10pm.

Click on the picture to the left to access the two pages of pictures.

Apologies for not getting great pictures of everyone.

Documentation for N1 r0-3 plots 30 and 31 plus other assorted pix of the Foreign Section in Aoyama Bochi

Tokyo Tower, modeled on Paris's Eiffel Tower, is 333 meters tall (11 meters taller than the Eiffel), making it the world's highest self-supporting iron tower. It is also the lightest, 3000 tons lighter than the 7000-ton Eiffel Tower.

At a cost of 2.8bn yen or $28mn (100 yen =$1), it was completed by the Takenaka Corporation in 1958, and at the time, it was the tallest structure in Tokyo. It has two observation decks with panoramic views including Mt. Fuji on clear days. Although, It has mainly functioned as a radio and television antenna, it now includes an art gallery, wax museum, and a small aquarium.

Recently. several buildings, including Mori tower in nearby Roppongi Hills, have superceded it, cutting its effectiveness as a broadcast tower. And, with the launch of terrestrial digital broadcast services, its role as a radio tower has been threatened by an agreement among major broadcasters to promote a new, taller tower of 600 meters. In response, Tokyo Tower's operator, Nippon Television City Corp., has installed new antennas and reinforced the steel frames. Tokyo tower is likely to remain a landmark for many years to come.

As for the photos in this album, they were all taken from a 12th floor balcony in Minami Azabu, about 1 km WSW as the crow flies. Earlier shots were taken with a Kyocera 3.1 megapixel that sadly committed suicide after doing service at a yamcha tabehodai. (It jumped out of my pocket while I was riding my bike home from the all-you-can-eat dim-sum fest, and was probably run over by a truck.) More recent photos have been taken with a Nikon 5400.

Have a look at the many moods of Tokyo Tower and the weather patterns surrounding it.