Sakura Hanami - It Never Gets Old

 Sakura season 2026 hit Wigan right around Easter and, despite Storm Dave trying its best to ruin it, the local cherry trees here in Wigan were magnificent this year. When the world is going to hell in a handbasket and we need something positive in our lives, nature brings the goods every single time. Here in darkest Wigan we have just come out of the wettest winter for many a year, so the sight of the Sakura in full bloom really does lift my spirits.

I introduced my pal Keith to the display and he was smiling from ear to ear at the sight of all that pink blossom that greeted us as we drove around the corner. I got stuck into my first roll with my Nikon F801s and 35-70mm zoom lens. I had chosen to shoot Kodak Gold first and managed half a roll before we headed off to another location to find some bluebells. However, It would not be my last encounter with the cherry blossom. 

I had a couple of rolls of Kodak ColorPlus to use in my Olympus OM-10 and had put fresh batteries in it to ensure I could make the most of any sunshine whilst the Sakura Season was in full swing. Thankfully the weather held for a few days and I headed back to the local display to finish half a roll off. Well, that turned into more than half a roll as I made the most of the sunshine and loaded another roll of ColorPlus. 

I knew it wasn't going to be the last of the sunshine and headed into town to see if the cherry trees in the Park and at Wigan Parish Church were blessed with sunshine. I did get a couple of minutes of sunshine at the park, but mother nature saved the best of the days sunshine for the trees in the Church Gardens. 

I wasn't alone in enjoying the display there as a few people were also taking photos and appreciating nature at her finest. I always say Sakura Season is nature's "Hold My Saké" moment every year. The Sakura was glorious this year and it never fails to impress me. All I had left to do was send my film to Analogue Wonderland for processing.

When I received my scans a few days later I was blown away by the colour rendition of the Cherry Blossom on Kodak Gold. I managed to get several nice photos and to be fair, the difference between Kodak Gold and Colorplus made for a nice comparison of Kodak's consumer grade 200 iso colour films. I love ColorPlus, but Gold makes the blossom come alive just a touch more. I am of the opinion that photographing Spring on Kodak Gold should be enshrined in Law.

Here's a few favourites from my 2026 Sakura Hanami in the glorious sunshine here in Wigan. The first three are on Gold, the rest are ColorPlus and I think you will agree that ColorPlus is good, but Gold is just a little bit more lush. As always I have placed them and more in albums on Flickr that you can visit using the links below. I hope you enjoy them.

Sakura Hanami - Kodak Gold
Sakura Hanami - Kodak ColorPlus

Kodak Gold

Kodak Gold

Kodak Gold