TINIG entry for the month of April

日本の花見 (nihon no hanami)

the Cherry blossoms in JAPAN

It is cherry blossom season in Japan. The entire country explodes with these gentle flowering trees. The blue sky seems to rain down sweet cherry blossom petals. I’ve experienced snow here in Japan, but for once spring here with the cherry blossoms is gorgeous and alluring.

The word for cherry blossoms in Japanese is Sakura. The Cherry Blossoms are believed to exemplify the transient nature of our life and existence, because of their short blooming times. They are so loved that people flock together, spread blankets and sit under trees to enjoy the view that surrounds them. And so thus the yearly festival called Hanami or flower viewing.

I, together with my fellow FTSPians who were sent here in Japan for a business trip, was so privileged to have had shared in this remarkable event in Kyoto. It is an hour train ride from Kobe- the place where we are currently staying. Kyoto is known to be one of the tourist spots in Japan where one can experience Hanami with the different castles and temples as its background.

We visited the Byodo-in temple where we’ve seen one of the most famous views in Japan which was replicated on the back of the 10 Yen coin. Then we went to Daigo-ji temple. It was said to have been built by Rigen Daishi a buddhist monk. He planted a lot of sakura trees so that they would have Hanami parties during the spring. There we witnessed different kinds of Sakura trees. I thought that cherry blossoms were limited to the color pink but our visit in the temple proved that there are a lot of other varieties. Most varities produce light pink to pure white petals, but there are also cherry trees with dark pink or silghtly yellowish blossoms. Some of the cherry blossoms also change their colors when they bloom.

After having a great time looking at all those varities, we went to the famous Golden Pavilion or Kinkaku-ji. There we witnessed sakura trees though not much as to the temples we visited before. We enjoyed our stay in spite of not being able to go inside because of restrictions. Lastly we visited Nijo Castle or Nijo-jo where we witnessed the “Sakura light-up.” It started at 6 in the evening as the sun sets and it ends at around 10 pm. It is an amazing place where you can just be lost with the grandeur of it all, feel the breeze brushing your face, be thrilled by the sight of the cherry blossoms.

It was a tiring day but it was worth it. I hope one day, i can experience the cherry blossoms again...but now with my special someone. For sure it would be a one of a kind date.

To see more pictures, visit my multiply site: Sakura in Kyoto