TOKYO
Ueno Gyoen
The public garden in Ueno was our first destination, and one of the two we visited that was free for visitors. The weather paled against the beauty of the cherry blossom forest, but no matter how dreary and wet the day was, there were still plenty of visitors in the park admiring the blossoms.
The sight of the towering blossoms flanking us from both sides of the path were quite impressive to witness. Everywhere I looked there were smiling faces and cameras capturing these flowers that only bloom for 3-4 weeks a year. Like many tourists here, we were all aiming to capture one of the most popular and beautiful moments in Japan.
Despite the downpour, no weather can stop some families having a casual picnic among the trees.
There were also smaller pathways diverting around the park, and one of them led us to a small shrine - the first Shinto shrine in Japan that we encountered. As a commemoration for arriving in Japan, I made coin donation and a prayer before ringing the loud bell, wishing that this trip would be filled with fun and excitement minus the dodgy weather.
We didn't know what these little wells were at first, but after witnessing someone use it they were actually for cleansing your hands and mouth before approaching the shrine. They're called Chozuya or Temizuya.
Also around the shrine were these wooden plaques, or Ema, that people purchase and inscribe their prayers and wishes on.
At the end of the center path was a big terrace, where semi hidden in the fog was the National Museum. This marked the end of our cherry blossom viewing in Ueno, but before heading towards Shinjuku, we had to settle down for a warm bite to replenish our energy. Thinking how cold the Melbourne weather is back at home, the chill in Tokyo does take quite a bite, even during the Spring season. But once the sun came out, the warmth of Spring was very inviting.
Shinjuku Gyoen
Situated on the opposite side of Tokyo, we took the fast and convenient subway system to one of the top rated gardens in Tokyo, Shinjuku Gyoen. The subway system might look scary at first, but the stations have plenty of English signs all color coded and labelled, so the only information you need are the stations to get off or change to. Sometimes it can involve a lot of walking when changing lines.
Alas it was still raining when we got off at Shinjukugyoenmae. The garden was easy to locate by heading towards the large canopy of trees in the distance. Along the way there were cherry blossoms scattered around the street blocks, and it was hard not to miss a vending machine or two after every couple of meters. Not only do they sell soft drinks, but also coffee, hot tea and coffee, energy drinks, and juices.
The entry fee into Shinjuku Gyoen is 200Y per person. Once inside, we were met with a huge wide lawn area surrounded by beautiful cherry blossoms. If the weather was more forgiving and allowed more sunshine and less rain, this place would've been a perfect picnic area (rather prodding through wet grass and avoiding large puddles).
There were many different types of cherry blossoms blooming in this park. It's easy to spend hours looking around each tree and taking snaps of each, but the garden still had plenty to offer.
Situated in the inner section of the garden is a small tea house, called Rakkutei. This was one of the two tea houses that visitors could visit. The cost was 700Y per person, which was paid at the little vending machine at the front to acquire a ticket. Inside was a small semi-dark room with 3-4 tables on each side. It was full at the time so we waited awkwardly for a while inside as the staff didn't come up to us or say anything, but we realized it was probably best to wait outside until somebody left. When a table was empty (big enough for 2-3 guests), we sat down and a lady staff in a kimono came out to clean the plates away and took our ticket. The service was very proper and smooth, and even though I didn't understand Japanese, I could tell she was using the very polite sense to greet us.
We were then given a bowl of green tea, prepared in what I assumed to be in a traditional manner hence the bubbly texture, and a little slice of a Japanese sweet cake. The taste of the tea was very warm and aromatic, easily settling the heart and soul...it might not sound like much, but the tea house was a perfect place to escape the noisy bustling city. Guests talked in mild whispers, and the whole atmosphere was very peaceful and tranquil. Just like all tea houses are supposed to be! Too bad there aren't any like these back at home.
After a moment's basking, in what almost felt like a dream where my world was suddenly stress and problem free, we headed back out to continue exploring the garden. At the back was a gorgeous lake with quite a breathtaking scenery.
As we started to head back to the entrance, we noticed the second tea house of the garden. It was clearly the more popular as it offered the beautiful scenery of the lake as guests sipped on their green tea. Along the way we continued to be overwhelmed by the many shades of pink blossom trees. It was hard not to stop and take a picture of the flowers and the scenery they occupied.
KYOTO
Philosopher's Path
Or otherwise known as Tetsugaku no michi (哲学の道), this was also a highly recommended spot to get a capture of the cherry blossoms. Although slightly harder to find as its located within a neighbourhood, Google Maps was our best friend here (and for most of the trip). We took the local bus 204 to Higashi Tennocho station, where we then set afoot towards Philosophers Path. Because we were running sightly late and the sun was about to set, we decided to just complete the last portion of the path towards Nanzenji Temple located at the very end of the path. However, ideally the best way to enjoy the whole experience was to make a stop at Ginkakuji Temple where the start of the path was and stroll down towards Nanzenji Temple. The bus route was quite simple to follow, and there were bus route maps located at the main Kyoto station.
Once we'd found this wooden engraved map below that directed us to the Philosophers Path, we knew we were heading towards the right direction.
The neighbourhood was a bit of a up hill stride, but it gave us a nice visual insight to how the suburban locals lived.
This gateway marks the entrance towards the Philosopher's Path, leading towards the waterway that cuts through the back of the neighbourhood.
If there was one place to kill time in and to experience a leisurely stroll away from the city center, this place would be perfect. Anyone could easily spend an hour or two enjoying the canopy of cherry blossom trees, whether it's with family, friends, a partner, or even as a solo traveler.
I gotta say, the locals living along the canal are very lucky to have such a magnificent view as their backyard. Who wouldn't want a line of cherry blossoms outside their window every spring?
Maruyama Park
I'm sure there's a bus route that can take us directly to Maruyama Park, but nope we decided to have a leisurely stroll through the neighbourhood instead. So by the time we arrived it was nightfall, but that didn't mean our effort was in vain. Even though it was a lot harder to capture the cherry blossoms, much to our surprise and delight we stumbled across a line of food stalls! (for more details about our food adventures, check out the food post!)
...plus! A great spot to have a meal and sip sake under the cherry blossoms.
At the end of all the food stalls, we stumbled across Yasaka Shrine and the dance stage surrounded by dozens of strikingly lit up lanterns. Another shrine, another prayer!
OSAKA
Osaka Mint
The final spot of cherry blossom viewing was the Osaka Mint, situated along the government building on one side, and the food stalls beside Yodo River on the other. Again another popular spot where people flocked to enjoy the long stretch of cherry blossoms, we didn't realise how long the path was until we got to the end of the road. It almost took us an hour to finish the garden. Out of all the places we visited, this attracted the most visitors to a point where we had to take short strides among the heavy crowd. Whilst the actual mint museum itself closed before night fall, this section was opened specifically for the blossom viewing. Even though the flowers were lit up beautifully against the night sky, it was probably better to visit during the day where we could've visualized the different types of cherry blossoms properly (and take better pictures).
With all four cherry blossom hot spots marked off our list, the adventure didn't stop there. But I was glad to finally witness the famous flowers in person, and to discover the huge fuss of why visitors from around the world would choose Spring time to come to Japan. It was definitely a sight worth seeing and experiencing.
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