When people think of spring in Japan, they usually think of sakura 桜.
Soft pink petals, picnics under cherry blossom trees, quiet evening walks, a kind of gentle romance.
Some might think of ume 梅 instead. Another early bloom, just as beautiful.
But when I think of spring, I think of nemophila.
They’re also called “baby blue eyes,” and the name fits perfectly.
The first time I saw them, I remember thinking they were the most adorable flowers I had ever seen. I immediately wanted to photograph them.
This journal entry goes back to 2023, when I visited a nemophila festival for the first time.
I fell in love instantly.
Blue sky above, blue flowers stretching endlessly, and sometimes even the ocean in the background. Everything blended together into this calm, almost dreamlike scene.
The photos I’m sharing are a mix of that first list and this year’s trip. This time, I didn’t have a model. But standing there again, I realized something.
You don’t always need one. Sometimes, the flowers are the models.