It was March 2019 when I made the switch from Android. There were so many reasons why I got myself an iPhone but probably the biggest factor was that in Japan, it's widely used so there's a lot of accessories and support here. Also, I got my first iPhone as 2nd hand but it looked brand new. That weekend I got my iPhone XS, I took it out on a photography session in a park in Osaka.
Nagai Park (ι·ε± ε ¬ε) is located south of Osaka, around 30 minutes by train from Osaka Station. It's a big park that has a botanical garden which contains a lot of different flowers I don't even know all the names. The botanical garden was our destination with 2 of my friends. They got new cameras and they also wanted to test it out.
The weather was gloomy that weekend in Osaka. Luckily, it didn't rain heavily, or else our planned mini picnic slash photography session would be ruined by the rain. Ah yes, the night before we decided we would bring food that we could share in the afternoon.
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It was Spring in Japan at that time and the cherry blossoms started to bloom. There was an area in the botanical garden that was full of these sakura trees. However, it was so tall and with my height, I needed to tiptoe to take a good photo of them. It was so funny. Back then, I didn't make use of camera zoom.
There was a part of the huge garden that have trees of cherry blossoms that were of the same height as me. I didn't know what kind of sakura these are but I was so thankful that I could reach them.
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These cherry blossoms were not allowed to be touched. It would be rude to do so. There's no sign though but just in the culture here, it's only good for your eyes. So of course, I tried my best not to touch them and only take great photos of them from a close distance.
There was a part where it's lined with different flowers. At a distance, it's very colorful so it would really catch your attention. Do you know their names?
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Because they're closer to the ground, we had to bend and do all sorts of gymnastics poses just to take a good photo of them. π We were so dedicated in our photography session. There were only a few people in the park so we were free to bend down.
So yeah, the park had only a few guests. Not sure why. Perhaps because this area had an entrance fee? Or because the park itself was so spacious? Or this park wasn't so popular and like a hidden gem in Osaka? Or because the weather seemed like it's about to rain? Either way, we're thankful that it wasn't so crowded that's why we enjoyed our time in the park without worrying about other people.
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We found tables in the garden and we decided to have our afternoon snack there. We immediately took out the food we prepared the night before. For us 3, the food was enough (or a lot? π). We were so impressed that one of us prepared Filipino Style Spaghetti and brought it to our mini picnic.
The picnic wouldn't be complete without talking. It would be a lie if I would use the term catch up because we see each other every day in the office. π This was the Spring before the pandemic so we were still working in the office every weekday. I'm not sure til now why we could talk a lot about anything even when we already talk every day. We learn a lot about each other, that's why I like to be with friends doing just simple things like this.
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After we finished our snacks, we went to an area behind where we ate and discovered there's still an area where we could see more flowers. At that time, the rose garden wasn't blooming yet and we found these goodies instead.
The nice thing about Spring is that you could witness the blooming of a variety of flowers. They were so vibrant and if you put them together, they're so colorful. It didn't matter that the weather was a little dull, just seeing these flowers blooming beautifully, it seemed like the weather was sunny.
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Of course, I also had fun taking photos of my friends who were so serious. They were such great models. I had to hide their faces though. π
Just as we thought there were no more sakura trees in this area, we found another bunch of them. Some were still buds but there were those who have starting to bloom.
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Did you know that teamLab set up a lighting show in Nagai Park? Back then, of course, teamLab was only in Tokyo. Now, it's in Nagai Park in Osaka and I'm not really sure til when this show is. If you wanna know more, you can read it here. The pictures of the lighting show seem so magical. It makes me want to go back again to the park.
Around 5 PM, we left the botanical garden of Nagai Park because they'll be closing. We spent 3 hours in the garden but we hardly knew the time. If you're with friends, you wouldn't really mind the hours you've spent together. At that time, I wasn't really feeling well but being with these 2 beautiful ladies made me regain the happy energy I lost.
My first iphonography session ended well. Up until that time, I've been using my camera but having to take photos with my phone somehow made my bag less heavy. π What do you think of the photos I took with my first iPhone?
By the way, if you asked me what happened to my XS, it's in the storage room. The energetic me dropped it when I was jumping during a morning exercise. π
Thanks for reading!
See you around! γγγγγΎγγοΌ
With love,
All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.