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Even the drones are getting in on the cherry blossom viewing this year.

One of the best ways to appreciate the beauty of the cherry blossoms is to find a tree in full bloom, stretch out on the ground below it, and lie on you back, gazing up at the flowering branches. However, the sakura can be just as breathtaking when seen from above.

A bird’s-eye view can be tricky to get, but you don’t necessarily have to have wings on your back as long as you’ve got a drone at your control.

Tokyo-based filmmaker Yasunori Iwamoto has traveled as far as New Guinea in plying his craft, but this project took place closer to home. Over the past decade or so, the Megurogawa River, especially the stretch that flows right by Nakameguro Station, has become one of Tokyo’s most popular spots for cherry blossom viewing (called “hanami” in Japanese). With 800 cherry blossom trees straddling a four-kilometer (2.5-mile) section of the river, the twin tunnels of pink flowers are interrupted only by the occasional cross street.

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In the evenings, young urbanites come out to stroll along the waterway and nibble on the morsels being sold by local restaurants at sidewalk food stalls. The atmosphere is less lively before sundown, but the blossoms no less beautiful, as shown by Iwamoto’s early-morning flight.

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Cherry blossom season is winding down, but this weekend there should be just enough flowers still on the trees for one last round of hanami. But should we find ourselves feeling sentimental about the sakura in summer, autumn, or winter, we think we’ll be watching Iwamoto’s video again.

Related: Iwamoto Film Studio
Source: Japaaan
Images: YouTube/LAST FRONTIER