Cherry Blossoms in Japan 2010
Apr 11th, 2010, 06:28 PM
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I got back last week. As HT will attest, the end of March was cold and wet, but the sun came up for the weekend, and I had the great pleasure of enjoying with the crowds the blooms on Miyajima and the Kintai bridge near Iwakuni. Perfect, warm weather, and the blossoms were gorgeous.
Apr 11th, 2010, 08:55 PM
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I couldn't book a night's berth, even a month ahead, so it was purely a daytime excursion. We tripped it over on the JR ferry, a very quick trip late morning, and me and my party went first through the shopping street, looking at all the fine wares, smelling all the sweet flavours wafting through the air, before finally arriving at the square from which one first beholds the Great Torii. Not unusually there was a lot of picture taking there. Because it was my first time to the island I was the only one who ventured into the Floating Shrine, and unfortunately there was a wedding taking place. Unfortunate for the wedding party, because there was a whole lotta people (including myself) invading their ceremony by taking pictures from the sideline.
After the Floating Shrine I reunited with my party and slowly proceeded up to the bus stop to the cable car. This was arguably the prettiest journey, as the streets were lined with cherry blossoms in full bloom, and it was early afternoon.
Around mid-afternoon we went up on the cable car and went to the top of the island. Although it was a fine day, the haze partly obscured the farthest horizons, but it still was a marvellous view. It was also very interesting to hear the many varied languages all about me. This was the first time I had heard live Hebrew, for example! The only thing missing were the monkeys- I was looking forward to a bout with the bad tempered apes!
Around 5 we went back down, and we managed to catch the Torii at low tide, so I went out across the wet sandy path to have my picture taken under it, the sun setting behind it. Athough it was late we managed to have dinner at a okoyomaki restaurant (we were the last customers!), and man it was delicious and filling.
It was after 6 when we went back out into the cool spring air, the sun was already behind the distant hills, and all the shops and restaurants were shut, other than the few souvenir shops still hawking their wares. I noted something funny, all the tourists were heading for the ferry port, while people coming home after working on the mainland were heading towards the town for thir residences. In the same direction some deers were strolling along, and I remarked that they had done their day's work and were heading for home too!
So ended a really perfect day!
After the Floating Shrine I reunited with my party and slowly proceeded up to the bus stop to the cable car. This was arguably the prettiest journey, as the streets were lined with cherry blossoms in full bloom, and it was early afternoon.
Around mid-afternoon we went up on the cable car and went to the top of the island. Although it was a fine day, the haze partly obscured the farthest horizons, but it still was a marvellous view. It was also very interesting to hear the many varied languages all about me. This was the first time I had heard live Hebrew, for example! The only thing missing were the monkeys- I was looking forward to a bout with the bad tempered apes!
Around 5 we went back down, and we managed to catch the Torii at low tide, so I went out across the wet sandy path to have my picture taken under it, the sun setting behind it. Athough it was late we managed to have dinner at a okoyomaki restaurant (we were the last customers!), and man it was delicious and filling.
It was after 6 when we went back out into the cool spring air, the sun was already behind the distant hills, and all the shops and restaurants were shut, other than the few souvenir shops still hawking their wares. I noted something funny, all the tourists were heading for the ferry port, while people coming home after working on the mainland were heading towards the town for thir residences. In the same direction some deers were strolling along, and I remarked that they had done their day's work and were heading for home too!
So ended a really perfect day!
Apr 12th, 2010, 01:03 AM
#84
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We arrived home yeaterday from our 17 days in Japan...loved it. Highlights: We loved Miyajima, we had beautiful weather, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom and we stayed at the wonderful Iwaso ryokan. We had snow flakes when we visited the alps area, this was picture perfect and a novelty for us. As someone has already mentioned -we too walked the whole philosphers path and thoroughly enjoyed it. These are just a few images of our great time in Japan. Will post a trip report of the whole trip as soon as I get a chance. Between us we took about 2000 photos.
Apr 12th, 2010, 03:23 PM
#85
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Sydney2K, Wow, what a great story! Hope you'll put your thoughts into a trip report so we can all "see what you saw". Sounds like you had a wonderful time.
paru25, I had been wondering how you were doing. Ah Iwaso Ryokan is a magical place and the Philosophers Path was so splendid with the cherry blossoms and all to take in, we were lucky you know.....
Looking forward to your report(s), welcome home all!
Aloha!
paru25, I had been wondering how you were doing. Ah Iwaso Ryokan is a magical place and the Philosophers Path was so splendid with the cherry blossoms and all to take in, we were lucky you know.....
Looking forward to your report(s), welcome home all!
Aloha!
Apr 12th, 2010, 05:41 PM
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HT, I am so slothful that I had photos from last year's February trip to Okinawa still on my memory card! I only took them off this time around because the friends I was staying with wanted copies of the photos I'd taken previously in the trip. And that is for something as "easy" as backing up photos off a memory card. Anyway...
Sunday I went to church at the US air base at Iwakuni, and then had a tour of the base. My friends work on the base, so I was able to gain access via them. The base mess hall organised a Easter banquet, so we had brunch there, and then we headed off for the Kintai bridge. Of course being a Sunday every other Japanese family had the same idea, and it wasn't long before we got stuck in a huge traffic jam on a two lane road.
I was in the car for about two hours when my friends encouraged me to get out and walk the rest of the way, while they stayed in the car to park it in one of the extensive dirt parking yards next to the bridge. It didn't take me long to get to these yards, and just beyond was the Kintai bridge, and on both banks of the bridge, families were enjoying hanami under the cherry blossom trees.
There were food stalls on the wallsides of the banks, and the smell was so tempting, however I had just eaten so I continued by the road to the bridge. There I paid a small 500 yen fee to walk the bridge both ways.
For people who have not seen the Kintai bridge, this isn't a standard foot bridge, with one long smooth shallow plane. The Kintai bridge is composed of several half circular segments, and you are walking up and then down and then up/down again, until you get to the other side. The view from the bridge is wonderful though. You aren't looking at vast mountain valleys, or peaks that reach into the sky, but you look at the banks, with the trees overhanging the myriads of happy picnickers enjoying the wonderful warm weather.
While there was grass on the bank I entered the bridge on the other side the bank was all stony. People were sitting on benches or on large rocks. I gingerly picked my way down to the bank and around and under the bridge, where there was a small bank. I sat down next to a group of boys wading in the river and took the opportunity to dangle my feet in the cold mountain water. And it WAS cold. It didn't take long for me to pull my feet out of the water and let them rest drying in the sun. In the meanwhile the boys were daring each other to walk to the next pillar supporting the bridge. No one did make it, and no one fell in, but there were some close calls, and one boy did get plenty wet. On both sides of me kids were skipping stones across the river, to varying levels of success.
My friends had finally made it by now, and the called me up on my cell phone. I told them I was under the bridge, and they told me where they were, and even across the wide length of the bridge I saw them waving their arms on the grassy bank. I picked myself up, and after buying some skewered meat I walked back across the bridge to join them.
We then went off into the town square and to the park beyond. While not as busy as the bridge, there was still a lot of people, people lined up for about 50 or so metres for ice cream(!) As we walking into the park, a pair of young girls gaily sang a nursery song as they skipped along before their parents. This elicited a big smile from all of us, you never hear kids singing joyfully like that nowadays. I wished that I switched my camera to movie mode and recorded their song. We then got lost in a maze before heading off to the cemetary where the local lords of the district were buried.
While my friends had been to the Kintai bridge before they had not been to this part of the town, so this was as much new to them as it was for me. While the later lords were buried on level ground, we had to walk up mountain paths to get to the first lord. He looked down upon his descendents from upon high, long with some of his wives and a good friend who laid his life for his lord and master.
As we descended it was very late afternoon, after 5, so we decided to return to the car, looking at some of the period buildings and moat along the way. It was much easier to get out than it was to get in, although the inbound traffic was still very heavy- presumably folk and family intending to enjoy hanami under glowing lanterns. We still ended up in a traffic jam though, the traffic lights for the T-junction very slow to change- unless it was greenlighting our path. And so ended my visit to the Kintai bridge.
Sunday I went to church at the US air base at Iwakuni, and then had a tour of the base. My friends work on the base, so I was able to gain access via them. The base mess hall organised a Easter banquet, so we had brunch there, and then we headed off for the Kintai bridge. Of course being a Sunday every other Japanese family had the same idea, and it wasn't long before we got stuck in a huge traffic jam on a two lane road.
I was in the car for about two hours when my friends encouraged me to get out and walk the rest of the way, while they stayed in the car to park it in one of the extensive dirt parking yards next to the bridge. It didn't take me long to get to these yards, and just beyond was the Kintai bridge, and on both banks of the bridge, families were enjoying hanami under the cherry blossom trees.
There were food stalls on the wallsides of the banks, and the smell was so tempting, however I had just eaten so I continued by the road to the bridge. There I paid a small 500 yen fee to walk the bridge both ways.
For people who have not seen the Kintai bridge, this isn't a standard foot bridge, with one long smooth shallow plane. The Kintai bridge is composed of several half circular segments, and you are walking up and then down and then up/down again, until you get to the other side. The view from the bridge is wonderful though. You aren't looking at vast mountain valleys, or peaks that reach into the sky, but you look at the banks, with the trees overhanging the myriads of happy picnickers enjoying the wonderful warm weather.
While there was grass on the bank I entered the bridge on the other side the bank was all stony. People were sitting on benches or on large rocks. I gingerly picked my way down to the bank and around and under the bridge, where there was a small bank. I sat down next to a group of boys wading in the river and took the opportunity to dangle my feet in the cold mountain water. And it WAS cold. It didn't take long for me to pull my feet out of the water and let them rest drying in the sun. In the meanwhile the boys were daring each other to walk to the next pillar supporting the bridge. No one did make it, and no one fell in, but there were some close calls, and one boy did get plenty wet. On both sides of me kids were skipping stones across the river, to varying levels of success.
My friends had finally made it by now, and the called me up on my cell phone. I told them I was under the bridge, and they told me where they were, and even across the wide length of the bridge I saw them waving their arms on the grassy bank. I picked myself up, and after buying some skewered meat I walked back across the bridge to join them.
We then went off into the town square and to the park beyond. While not as busy as the bridge, there was still a lot of people, people lined up for about 50 or so metres for ice cream(!) As we walking into the park, a pair of young girls gaily sang a nursery song as they skipped along before their parents. This elicited a big smile from all of us, you never hear kids singing joyfully like that nowadays. I wished that I switched my camera to movie mode and recorded their song. We then got lost in a maze before heading off to the cemetary where the local lords of the district were buried.
While my friends had been to the Kintai bridge before they had not been to this part of the town, so this was as much new to them as it was for me. While the later lords were buried on level ground, we had to walk up mountain paths to get to the first lord. He looked down upon his descendents from upon high, long with some of his wives and a good friend who laid his life for his lord and master.
As we descended it was very late afternoon, after 5, so we decided to return to the car, looking at some of the period buildings and moat along the way. It was much easier to get out than it was to get in, although the inbound traffic was still very heavy- presumably folk and family intending to enjoy hanami under glowing lanterns. We still ended up in a traffic jam though, the traffic lights for the T-junction very slow to change- unless it was greenlighting our path. And so ended my visit to the Kintai bridge.
Apr 13th, 2010, 10:02 AM
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Sydney2K, you should put these stories together one day for us to read. You are a very good writer.
I hope you are around when I am planning our Okinawa adventure sometime in 2011. I would love some of your insight.
Aloha!
I hope you are around when I am planning our Okinawa adventure sometime in 2011. I would love some of your insight.
Aloha!
Oct 11th, 2010, 06:44 PM
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Brief trip report, Just as I had suspected, " 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!"
It was raining in Hiroshima the two days I was there, but the Cherry Blossoms were at peak. Each morning there was a Sakura report just before the weather report. In Osaka, we really got lucky. April 4th, we had a Hanami (Cherry blossom party/picnic) with a local girl and saw the contrast of perfect white and pink blossoms on a background of blue, cloudless sky. By the time we were in Tokyo April 7th, the rain was starting to make the blossoms fall to the ground and with a heavy breeze, a whirlwind of white petals floated down.
This was a great experience and worked out marvelously.
It was raining in Hiroshima the two days I was there, but the Cherry Blossoms were at peak. Each morning there was a Sakura report just before the weather report. In Osaka, we really got lucky. April 4th, we had a Hanami (Cherry blossom party/picnic) with a local girl and saw the contrast of perfect white and pink blossoms on a background of blue, cloudless sky. By the time we were in Tokyo April 7th, the rain was starting to make the blossoms fall to the ground and with a heavy breeze, a whirlwind of white petals floated down.
This was a great experience and worked out marvelously.
Oct 12th, 2010, 09:09 AM
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Aw, HT, we will be leaving Tokyo just BEFORE the cherry blossoms are predicted to blossom, on 03/26/11, so I am very disappointed. Hopefully we will either be able to see the plum blossoms, or (good for us, bad for you), the cherry blossoms may blossom ahead of schedule. We are very excited (and even more overwhelmed) for our first trip to Tokyo; it looks like it will be an adventure! I am learning that Tokyo is nowhere like Hawai`i, but that's the charm and excitement of going on a vacation, right?
Oct 15th, 2010, 12:21 PM
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firsttimethere,
We won't be in Tokyo this spring(2011) but I do hope that I am wrong and you will see some blossoms before you leave. Let us know what happens and good luck!!!!
Aloha!
We won't be in Tokyo this spring(2011) but I do hope that I am wrong and you will see some blossoms before you leave. Let us know what happens and good luck!!!!
Aloha!
