May 10, 2026.
Kyoto Botanical Gardens Rose Garden.
A completely cloudless blue sky.

Yesterday was sunny, but not perfectly clear.
That is why I felt compelled to return once again today.

The garden opens at 9 a.m.
Both yesterday and today, I aimed to be among the very first visitors at opening time.
Yesterday I arrived 15 minutes early.
Today, I arrived 25 minutes early and waited in front of the Kitayama Gate.

Among those entering from the Kitayama Gate, I was the first person to reach the rose garden.
Perhaps the third overall, since the main gate is slightly closer.
But that was enough.

A silent rose garden beneath a completely cloudless sky.
The brilliance of the flowers.
The transparency of the greenery.
The deep blue of the Kyoto sky.

There were photographs today that could only be taken today.

Not many people travel from Shin-Osaka to Kyoto by Shinkansen just to photograph a rose garden.
The Special Rapid train reaches Kyoto in about 24 minutes.
Normally, that would be sufficient.
But weekend mornings are crowded, and I wanted to arrive before anyone else.

So, half asleep and determined not to stand in a packed train, I ended up traveling back and forth by Shinkansen solely for this rose garden.
Even I have to laugh at myself a little.

But perhaps today’s photographs contain that degree of passion.

There were years when I visited Kyoto Botanical Gardens ten times during the rose season alone.
And today, after transferring the photographs to my computer, I became convinced of something.

Today’s photographs are on an entirely different level from yesterday’s.

Yesterday’s work now feels like little more than a trial run after returning to the rose garden for the first time in a year.
But today was different.

The light.
The sky.
The roses.
The atmosphere itself.

Everything surpassed yesterday completely.

At this moment, these are the finest rose garden photographs I have ever taken at Kyoto Botanical Gardens.

Music:
Jean Sibelius
Karelia Suite

Conducted by Paavo Jarvi.

Audio source from YouTube.