This post was written in 2007. Some information may be out of date.
Since I came to Kyoto to see the cherry blossoms, I obviously couldn’t skip the famous blossom spots.
First stop was Maruyama Park. There were loads of cherry trees, but the whole place felt pretty chaotic thanks to what looked like homeless people camped out on blue tarps. It was peak hanami season, so people who’d been holding good spots since the night before were sprawled out on blue tarps or drinking in the middle of the day, and honestly it was painful to watch… Well, that’s part of Japanese culture too, so I can’t really complain…
Enjoy the cherry blossoms..
This seems to be the most famous cherry tree. It stands right in the middle of the park.
The sky got dark and then it started raining. Not a great day for cherry blossoms, but I was short on time, sadly. Luckily the next day turned out bright and sunny.
Leaving my slight disappointment behind, I had a meal and then headed to Heian Jingu, another place famous for its cherry blossoms.
It was gorgeous, but a sudden downpour cut the photo session short. I don’t have many shots from the garden walk inside Heian Jingu either.
A few more shots.
