Japan - Sakura in Kyoto

Due to a stroke of luck, we managed to arrive in Kyoto at the height of cherry blossom season. Kyoto was the Imperial capital of Japan for over a thousand years, and has so many impressive cultural sights to see. Three days wasn’t really enough time to explore all of the wonders of the city, but we did our best!

Our first stop was the famous temple of the Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-ji. Although the original temple was burned down by a deranged monk in the 1950’s, the rebuilt temple is faithful to the original and covered in gold leaf. Unfortunately, visitors can’t enter the structure, but I think the main attraction is catching a glimpse of the golden reflection in the adjacent pond.

In the afternoon, we took a bus to the Arashiyama district in the northwest part of Kyoto. There are many cherry trees planted along the banks of the Katsura River, so it was a very popular area for people watching. We took a long steep hike up the side of Mount Arashi and were rewarded with great views of the western side of Kyoto…

…and monkeys, hundreds of angry-looking monkeys! Our tickets for the Monkey Park had some ominous warnings written on them: “Don’t touch the monkeys. Don’t feed the monkeys. Don’t stare at the monkeys in the eye.” Uh, okay. There was a structure where you could feed the monkeys (you go inside the structure and feed the monkeys through a protective chain-link barrier). But instead we opted to catch our breath on a bench (it was a strenuous hike) and just enjoy watching the monkeys from a safe distance.

Just across the river from the monkey park is the old town section of Arashiyama. We walked down a crowded shopping street and followed the crowds to the Bamboo Forest, which was listed as a “must-see” in all the guidebooks. It was pretty, but the crush of people did detract from the beauty a bit.

We took the subway back to our hotel and wandered around the historic Pontocho district in the evening. This area is home to many geiko/geishas and traditional tea houses. It’s a lovely and atmospheric place to walk around at night, because the narrow pedestrian-friendly streets are packed with bars and restaurants in a traditional architecture style. We went for a fabulous udon and tempura meal at Omen Shijo.

The next day we focused on Japanese culture and history. We started the day with a stroll through the Nishiki Market before arriving at the Samurai & Ninja museum.

We had a tour guide who instructed us in the ways of the Ninja, as well as giving us a great lecture on the history of the Samurai culture in Japan. I really enjoyed the lecture because I was reading “Shogun” at the time, and it helped me to understand a lot more about the historical context of the epic novel.

We then took a beautiful stroll through the Kiyomizu-dera temple and Higashiyama historical district. The winding lanes of Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka streets in particular were charming.

We arrived back in the Gion district just in time to watch the Miyako-Odori dance performance by the Geiko and Maiko (geisha and apprentice geisha) at the Minami-za theater. Unfortunately photography wasn’t permitted, but I was mesmerized by the slow, shuffling dance steps and high-pitched tonal singing. It was very different from the musical theater we have in America – and I was glad we had rented the English-language headsets to explain the significance of each musical number. After the early evening performance, we headed over to Maruyama Koen park to view the Yasaka Shrine with its brightly lit lanterns and illuminated weeping cherry tree.

Maruyama Park is one of the best hanami spots in Kyoto, and the party continues well into the evening. The beer garden/picnic area was very popular with the locals and tourists alike.

On our final day in Kyoto, we took a train down to the Fushimi Inari shrine, one of the most-photographed shrines in all of Japan.

The endless rows of bright red torii gates are dedicated to the rice goddess Inari, and each gate is donated by a local business. There are thousands of torii lining the 2½ miles of trails that lead to the top of the mountain.

We saved the very best spot in Kyoto for last, taking a bus up to the Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion Temple) area so that we could have a leisurely stroll down the Philosopher’s Path. This pathway, along a canal lined with cherry trees, is named for a Philosophy professor who used to meditate while walking between his home and his job at Kyoto University. The cherry blossoms along the path were truly spectacular.

We felt so lucky to have visited Kyoto while the cherry trees were in bloom. One of the reasons that cherry blossom season resonates so much with the people of Japan is because it is so fleeting. The blooms are only at their peak for a brief time, and we were already seeing evidence that the season would soon be coming to an end – with each gust of wind, pale pink petals would drift to the ground like snowflakes. The fragile beauty of the ethereal trees reminds you that life is short and to make the most of each day you are given.