Cherry Blossom Time in Japan Review: Just Pretty Trees and Postcard Vibes

If you have nine minutes to spare and want to look at some pretty, faded trees from 1936, this is worth a quick look.

People who love old-school travelogues and vintage postcard aesthetics will dig it, but anyone expecting actual depth or a real story will probably turn it off after two minutes. 🌸

It is basically a glorified slide show with some narration over it.

James A. FitzPatrick—the guy behind these Traveltalks shorts—sounds like he is reading from an encyclopedia he bought at a garage sale.

He talks about Shintoism and Buddhism like he is explaining how a kitchen toaster works.

It is all very 1930s and a bit awkward to listen to now.

The camera just sort of lingers on these giant cherry blossom branches for what feels like eternity.

Sometimes you see a person walk by in the background, looking very confused about why a giant camera is pointed at them.

There is this one shot where a group of women are walking across a wooden bridge.

They look so stiff, like they were told exactly where to step and are terrified of ruining the shot.

It has none of the energy of something like Welcome Danger, which came out around the same era but actually moves.

This film just sort of floats along like a lazy Sunday afternoon.

But the colors are the real reason to watch this, honestly.

That early Technicolor has this weird, painted look that you just do not see anymore in modern movies.

The pink of the blossoms looks almost fake, like cotton candy pasted onto the screen. It is oddly relaxing to watch.

FitzPatrick’s voice is so deep and booming it almost vibrated my cheap desk speakers.

He says "the land of the rising sun" with so much drama you would think he was announcing the end of the world.

It is a bit funny how the short tries to pack three major world religions into about three sentences.

"Here is a temple, they believe in peace, okay let's look at more trees!"

I did notice a stray dog in the background of one temple shot that seemed highly interested in a trash can.

That dog was probably my favorite part of the whole thing, if I am being real.

If you want a quick, nostalgic trip to a version of Japan that only existed on postcard racks, give it a go.

Just do not expect to learn anything actually useful about the culture.