Sydney,
On Miyajima Island you might want to check out near the Tahoto Pagoda which is a two story pagoda overlooking Itsukushima Shrine. There are close to 300 cherry trees found along the paths to, as well as in a small park on the slope next to the pagoda. Along Itsukushima Shrine and around the Senjokaku are more than 1500 cherry trees which are a sight to see if your timing is right.

Also I remember as our driver was driving us on the forest road(not thru the town) from the dock to the Iwaso Ryokan area there were and abundance of trees along that route.

In Hiroshima there are and abundance of cherry trees that line the river next to and in and around the Peace Park.

Getting close to blastoff time,lol!

Aloha!

Mara, glad to see you are going back to Japan. Is this the 1st trip back since your broken foot ordeal? Step carefully...

emd3, Hi Eileen,good to see you in here again! We miss you. Thinking of going back to Japan anytime soon?

I think Mara did make it back after the foot ordeal but I'll let her answer that one.

Aloha!

Hi emd, no, I went last spring - this time I will do the walk from Magome to Tsumago.....wanna come.... ;-) Yes, I try to be careful all the time.

ooops, forgot the latest cherry blossom update. The excitement is building.....

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2011.html

If I didn't still have one teen in the house (who has to be watched, she gets in trouble) and one in a private university, I'd be there in a minute. Return to Japan will have to wait a few more yrs. But walk for me, Mara! (Just be careful bc I slip and fall a lot too.) Take pics to share w/us.

The cherry blossoms have already started to open in Tokyo and Kyoto earlier than predicted except by one person......

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2011.html

Good luck to all those who lucky enough to witness the event this year and when are the rest of you going to plan for this. You really don't know what your missing!

Aloha!

So, opening now... Should be at peak by the weekend when that person arrives, is that not the case?

Yippee - perfect timing for me too. Now to hit the jackpot at all destinations.

ht, and everyone else, enjoy!

No no no, not yet! Hold off for one more week!

(Also, thanks HawaiianTraveller for your insight.)

Glad that they have started to open now. We leave in about 24 hrs. time. We might miss the prime time initially in Tokyo and Takayama but should hit it smack bang in Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Hakone and catch the end of them on our return to Tokyo - so feeling very lucky. Should be lots of wonderful photo opportunities.
Only concern is we are coming from 28 degrees celcius to 10 d celcius lol.

> No no no, not yet! Hold off for one more week!

It's only the beginning now. The peak time will be in one week in Tokyo so you are in luck.

It might be past prime when I reach Tokyo, but We'll be in Hiroshima April 1, Osaka and Kyoto April 2-6 and back in Tokyo April 7-11. Can't wait!

I hope I won't be missing the cherry blossoms! I'll be in Osaka from April 13 through the 19th...

Just received an e-mail from a friend in Tokyo. It's a chilly 9 degrees C there today. So sakura may not be blooming so quickly. Then again a sudden sunny day can change all that.

Aloha kappasan! Yes it will be chilly and rainy in Tokyo Tues, Wed and Thursday but the sun is supposed to show up this Friday, Sat & Sun with warmer temps so......aahhhhhhhhh, I can't wait. We leave tomorrow morning :)

Gokouun o inorimasu everyone!

and

Aloha!

Safe travels!

We just returned from a wonderful Japan trip-March 18-26. Special thanks to you, Hawaiian Traveler, and other Fodorites for all the generous information which helped make our trip so wonderful. We did enjoy some cherry blossoms during the early days of our visit, but as someone else posted, a few rainy, chilly days around the 23-26 slowed the process. So we hope that those there now enjoy the blossoms in their full splendor!

You are very welcome tomarket! Glad you had a good time. We walked the whole length of the Philosopher's Path in Kyoto yesterday under a full bloom. I can't begin to explain to those who have not seen this how beautiful it really is. Osaka Castle was also about 90% so we have been very lucky. We just got back to Tokyo and see on the news that most of the city is peaking so tomorrow promises to be another wonderful event. The park across the street of our hotel is being set up for all the celebrations tonight and tomorrow. Excitement is in the air.

Kuranosuke, you should have come here instead of Vegas, unless you are winning of course,lol

rhkkmk, Kathie, Craig,simpson510,guenmai,gpanda and all you others really have to put this on your list of things to do. You really don't know what you are missing.


Aloha!

HT I think I will try and get on the wrong plane this evening and end up in Osaka instead of Seoul!

Hanuman, You would be making the right decision imho, but since you probably won't please take notes about Seoul as Mrs HT and I are planning some time there this Nov and would like to hear more about Korea from an unbiased point of view. All that we have heard and read(except from rhkkmk)about Seoul and S Korea sounds fascinating to me. I just saw on the Japan news tonight that the cb's are also blossoming in Seoul too although the significance and sheer abundance is not present there.

Aloha!

HT - you've got the wrong person! I'm like Kuranosuke - more casinos than palaces except for only when the palace has a casino. Only going there because my daughter and children of our friends are mad with crazy teen fascination on anything to do with Korea. Should take them to the DMZ and show them where their grandfather fought!

Will take note but please don't expect much. We have plans for Japan before June this year as well!

Hanuman, don't get me wrong either. I am Kuranosukes twin brother except I don't get all the vacation time off that he does,lol. Enjoy your time in Seoul!

Aloha!

"i don't get all the vacation time off that he does", ht last time i checked, i'm sitting here in my condo just off keeaumoku street in honolulu, reading your great hanami report, and turning uh green with envy. lol

hanuman, if you can plan your trip to tokyo to early july, we can go have excellent sushi and sake.

ken, we were at Ueno and Shinjuku Gyoen yesterday and both were in peak bloom, kirei! I have never seen so many people in S Gyoen, literally tens of thousands. We leave for home on tonight's flight so am out the door to do last minute shopping and sightseeing. Hope I can make it to Ginza and the Yoshinogawa ;)

Aloha!

I hope this link works as I am still trying to figure out how it works. Some of the 600+ pictures we took on this trip. iI will figure this out sooner than later and post the rest one day,lol

http://hawaiiantraveler.smugmug.com/...28929183_XFxEW

Aloha!

fantastic pics....another perfect trip to J completed....

pics are very clear and flowers are fabulous... linda also looks fabulous as usual

WOW WOW WOW! The pic of Linda's face being framed by the sakura is priceless.

Great photos - thanks for sharing!

Great clear photos! Are you posting your trip report?

Beautiful pictures HT!

Just got back from Seoul and it was freezing.... -2C at night and around 10C during the day. No cherry blossoms in sight as it was too cold still.

Ken,

It looks like our plan have now, or for now, change to Mongolia. Who knows by the time it's June or July it might change back to Japan again.

Did you win in Vegas? I lost! :-(

HT fabulous pix..Must get Bob more motivated to Japan...esp in cherry blossum time.

ht great pics. mahalo for the oden and the yaki onigiri pics too. looks real ono. btw, working on location for sat. nite.

hanuman, just got back today, with a little extra in my pocket. also won a few bucks picking duke over wva.

Thanks all, I have lots more and will post later.

of course ken is right it is oden not ozoni,lol

kmkrnn, yes karen, will try to convince bob when we see you in oct. japan is not expensive!!!!!! its not bkk but it can be done on a budget very nicely. timing is important. i would pay to see bob at an onsen(did that sound perverted) :)

I will keep updating the picture site in the next few or several days and am thinking of just doing a pictorial trip report on this one but might do an Osaka short because of all the things we did and ate and shopped at there. Osaka is fabulous and we found a few treasures we'd like to share. So many museums. who would have thought. Hope the late penalties won't be too harsh but maybe the judge is too busy at another poker tourney to notice,lol

Aloha!

HT,

Apart from the beautiful Cherry Blossoms I am very much interested in the eating part and I see that you've already uploaded some food photos already. Please do upload more!

Lovely, lovely photos of the cherry blossoms and all those celebrating them -- thanks.

I am intrigued by your statement that Japan is not expensive because I would love to spend more time there but on my one trip to Japan found Tokyo/Kyoto prohibitively expensive compared to other Asian locales. We haven't been back but maybe I'll pick up some tips here.

marya, Japan can be done at a reasonable price using the local two and three star locations which are small but very clean and most always include internet and a continental breakfast. There are also a network of places that are easier on your pocketbooks other than staying in the 5 star hotels. If you get out of the main Tokyo-Kyoto-Hakone tourist path things also become cheaper. In Tokyo and Kyoto especially we usually use my Hyatt or SPG points where possible to ease the budget hit and still stay in nice places. Some of the budget hotel sites to check:

http://www.toyoko-inn.com/eng/

http://www.sunroute.jp/SunrouteTopHLE.html

http://www.tokyuhotelsjapan.com/en/index.html

http://www.kid97.co.jp/~jeh-group/jeh-group.html

http://www.j-hotel.or.jp/en/index.html

You can also travel long distances utilizing the JR Rail Passes which you already probably know about.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361.html

Costs of eating is the same as here in the US. If you go to a five star place for Kobe steak expect to pay $160.00 per person or more. If you go to a local Japanese diner you will get great food for 15.00 or less per person.

Aloha!

Mara, when do you leave for your trip to do the walk from Magome to Tsumago?

emd - read your three recent posts....I see you have the Japan urge again....I'm going next week. What about you? Do you still have your same email?

Yes, Mara, same email. Email me- I want to be able to track your walk as you go across Japan...