When I was initially deciding what countries to visit on this first taste of Asia, and I arrived at planning April, I knew it had to be Japan. If there is one thing I have heard over and over in my life, it is to experience spring here. Seeing the beautiful Sakura cherry blossoms in Japan was indeed a precious experience.
Osaka
When I arrived, thinking I would catch the beginning of the season as soon as I landed, I was in a bit of dismay. I landed to freezing temperatures, barely over zero degrees during the night. In fact, on my second and third night, there were risks of snow in the forecast!
Aghast, and having to go out and find long sleeved clothing, I was here when all the trees were still sporting their bare branches.
Now I had done a bit of research. The Sakura season is so famous in Japan, that it is predicted with very specific dates by the experts each year. Alas, no one can guess and assume that the weather will co-operate and co-operate it did not.
My first two weeks in Japan and I barely saw a cherry flower.
Plum Blossoms
Not all was lost though, as I scoured through neighbourhoods and gardens, I did see some spectacular plum trees in bloom. Their flowers are the brightest of pretty pink, with a multitude of petals whispering in the chilly breeze.
At Osaka Castle there is a plum grove, which I wandered on three occasions, searching for elusive blossoms that I was determined not to miss. The first time was the best, with these beautiful flowers showing on the early flowering varieties.
Kyoto
By the time I was heading for Kyoto I had begun to see the vestiges of a few more Sakura blooms. I was hopeful that Kyoto would be the place where I was going to see what I had know was possible. The first few days in the city, and with warmer weather, I was met with a quickening increase in the odd tree that was alight.
Quick suddenly, the sky went ‘poof’ as I knew it would! All around me I was surrounded by pale pink delicate blossoms. Most days the sky was white or grey so they did not appear as vivid as I had hoped they would against a blue backdrop. But that did not deter me in taking photographs at every opportunity I could.
I have amassed such a large volume of pictures of these most splendid and spring like blossoms. While not quite living up to my expectations of what I thought I would see, it was indeed an incredibly beautiful time to be exploring Japan. If I could offer one bit of advice to future visitors, its be patient. Nature has its own schedule. Some years the blossoms will happen all at once and it will feel absolutely magical. Other years, the magic happens in stages over weeks, and is a gradual build up. Both are equally magnificent as mother nature always is.
