WHAT I SAW: KYOTO
Cherry Blossom Season
Before I ever saw it, I always wondered: Why do people plan their entire visits around cherry blossom season? It seemed so precarious an idea and almost corny.
But then... my beloved and I happened to be in Kyoto during peak cherry blossom season and within hours we too–along with Japanese and tourists alike–fell under its rosy spell.
We were so impressed by the locals’ wonder and reverence for this special time of year in their calendar and their enthusiasm for dressing up, strolling by, posing in front of and picnicking under, the thousands of elegant branches bent over with the abundance of pink petals. The festive mood was infectious! We too couldn’t stop paying homage to nature’s miraculous display either, and found ourselves taking picture after picture with fresh enthusiasm...sometimes it was just of others taking pictures of others! It’s just a joyous celebration whether by day…
Or night:
Other Cool Things to See:
Fushimi Inari-taisha is one of Japan’s most iconic and spiritually significant Shinto shrines. Its thousands of vibrant vermilion torii gates that wind up the forested slopes of Mount Inari will stir your soul.
Kokedera means Moss Temple, referring to the temple garden's estimated 120 different varieties of moss. But to experience its beauty is to feel a kind of uniformity with the universe.
The journey is as mystical as the actual experience: you write them a post card with time and date you wish to visit, and they will respond on your return postcard if you can visit. Our first trip we were told no availability.
On the day before our second trip to Kyoto, I happen to look at the mailbox before leaving for the airport, and there was my postcard addressed back to me, saying that we were welcome to come! By the way I just heard they have now made online reservations a possibility which makes me a little sad as the old-fashioned way made it even more special. Either way, BOOK AHEAD!
To enter such a place feels holy and yet not intimidating.
Japan's most famous "hiraniwa" (flat garden void of hills or ponds). Its 15 stones are arranged so that only 14 can be seen from any one vantage point—no matter where you stand, one stone is always hidden. According to Zen philosophy, the hidden stone symbolizes the idea that true understanding comes only through contemplation and that completeness while seeing all 15 requires enlightenment.
I still keep our entry ticket in my wallet.
More like an open picture modern museum!
Make sure to go in decent weather! It’s entirely outdoors as Architect Tando Andao conceived a kind of contemporary version of a stroll garden. Blends monumental Western masterpieces with Japanese sensibility and water.
It’s a short walk from the Golden Pavilion (a tourist spot worth checking out too).
I defy you not to feel a little giddy once you’re inside its elegant embrace.
