Sakura and Bunad in Tokyo - Et Lite Stykke Norge by Joe Photography

As a Norwegian living in Tokyo I try to represent my home country the best I can. There is not that many people here who know that much about Norway; usually most people only associate it with salmon. One thing that however is very typical Norwegian (and little known in Japan) is the national attire called bunad. This traditional outfit comes in various colors and designs varying around the country, and it is common for each local community to have their own distinguished design. People can actually figure out which part of the country you come from by looking at the style of your bunad.

Recently my friend and colleague asked me to do a photo shoot for his page Joe Photography. I wanted to do something different, so I asked him to do a shooting with the blooming sakura (cherry blossoms) and my bunad. It is common for Norwegians to get a bunad for their coming of age ceremony, and I have had mine since I was 12 years old. This particular design is from my home town Bergen, and it brings back found memories of my childhood.

For the photo shoot we met up in Roppongi, and walked around Shiba Koen searching for good photo spots. Unfortunately the weather wasn't too good, so we didn't manage to capture Toyo Tower that well, but we still got some nice photos by a traditional Japanese house inside the park.

Shiba park was a great place to take photos thanks to the many beautiful cherry trees. The temperature was finally starting to get closer to spring and lot of people were in the park to enjoy the view of the flowers and to do hanami. The park had a very cozy atmosphere, and it would be nice to come back here next year when the cherry blossoms are in bloom again to hang out with friends in the park..

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the post! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments in the comment section below.

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