I have visited Japan in all 4 seasons but never quite timed it right for Sakura. On this 3rd visit in the last 4 months (yes, Virginia, I was in Fukuoka last Nov 2022, back in Osaka/Tokyo last January 2023, and here in Kansai again), I was eager to check out those white and pink cherry blossoms! While in Osaka, the blooms just started to make a show at the Osaka Castle and Mint Bureau. Not much luck in Nara Deer Park though.
By the time we reached Kyoto, Sakura was in full bloom. Walked the entire Philosopher’s Path and was enchanted by those blooms along the canal. Truth is I was on edge while our taxi passed so many canals and parks from Kyoto Station to Ginkakuji Temple. I actually longed to jump out of the cab as I saw lines of locals and tourists enjoying Sakura everywhere!
As we covered the entire 2 kilometer stretch, we made stops at a couple of shrines and even visited a garden with several varieties of camellia blooms. Reikan-Ji Temple is actually a nunnery with a lovely pond and stone garden. Nothing huge or fancy, but the camellia blooms make up for the stark simplicity of the temple grounds.
Since we fancied the scenery in Gion while our cab drove us to Ginkakuji, we took the bus at the end of Philosopher’s Path for the Geisha District. But not without late lunch at the Pontocho Alley. Love the vibes here, but so did many others crowding the alley and the Kamo riverside walk where more cherry blossoms are truly a feast for the eyes, a balm to the soul. A week earlier, we visited this same area and there were only hints of the sakura around Gion’s Hanamikoji Alley dotted with ochayas and those traditional and quaint machiya or centuries-old two-storey wooden structures.
Further down the geiko area, we went in search of Starbuck’s first tatami coffee shop. We weren’t as lucky as those who claimed spots on the tatami but managed to enjoy our matcha lattes on western seats inside this old wooden structure that must have earlier functioned as a tea house centuries ago. I just love Gion! No luck too spotting a geisha or her assistant Maiko, but strolling along these narrow alleys and enjoying more cherry blossoms in full bloom make for a lovely, unforgettable holiday.
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