Cherry Blossom Viewing at Inui Street in the Imperial Palace

The entrance of Yamashita Street

 Cherry blossoms are now in full bloom.  I have been very busy viewing sakura from place to place.  This year’s highlight so far is, definitely, Inui Street in the Imperial Palace, Tokyo.  The street, which runs along the eastern side of the Imperial Palace, opened to the general public for a week. 

It was about a 30 minute walk from Sakashita-mon Gate, on the southeast side, to Inui-mon Gate, at the north end.  It was my first time to go into the premises of the Palace, so everything was quite new and exciting to me.  After going through the Sakashita-mon Gate, we crossed the new palace building and in front of the office building of the Imperial Household Agency, both of which we are familiar with from TV broadcasting and newspapers. 

Sakura and Dokan moat

We passed through the entrance of Yamashita Street, which leads to Momiji-yama, or Mt. Momiji and Empress Michiko’s cocoonery, and Dokan-go or Dokan moat, which is named after Ota Dokan who developed the Edo Castle originally in the 15^th century.  The combination of sakura with the castle moat and stonewall is incredibly beautiful.  The pale pink color of sakura is emphasized with the backdrop of the dark stonewall and the white plaster wall.  It looked so refined and so elegant.

The contrast between sakura and dark stonewall backdrop is beautiful

This experience made me go crazy about Edo Castle.  Unfortunately, the castle tower in Edo Castle was burnt down three times and also the main buildings built in both the Edo and the Meiji eras were lost because of the air raids during World War ll.  Although there are very few remains on the premises, there is still something in the air that reminds us of those days. 

I bought some books that illustrate the reconstruction of the dwelling of Edo Castle.  It’s a fun to read those books and to imagine what it used to be like.  You can easily go back in time and feel very close to the Edo era.

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Sakura Pilgrimage to Mt Yoshino

The sakura season is almost over in Tokyo, but I’m still in that mood.  Maybe, a sort of sakura DNA that had been hidden in my mind is now awake.  Last weekend, I went all the way to Yoshino in Nara prefecture to see “the best sakura” in Japan. 

There is an expression to describe the mesmerizing scenery in Yoshino; “Hitome senbon,” means that you can see a thousand trees at a glance.  At first, I thought it was just an exaggeration, but soon it turned out to be literally true.

There are thirty thousand cherry trees, of around 200 different kinds.  In colors subtly graded from white to pink, cherry blossoms cover path after path, valley after valley, veiling all the mountains.

Mt Yoshino has been a site for religious training for monks for over a thousand years.  Mountains are deep and the paths are steep.  It’s not easy to climb up and I had to take rests again and again.  However, whenever I stopped, different vistas of sakura opened out.  It was breathtaking and filled me with joy.  

 Saigyo, the twelfth century Buddhist priest, lived  in Mt Yoshino for three years.  He wrote the following poem.

Hopefully, may I die

Under cherry blossoms in spring,

In the month of "Kisaragi"

Around the time of the full moon.

*Translation http://dharmaechoes.blogspot.jp/2010/04/heart-in-spring.html?view=flipcard

願わくば花の下にて春死なむ

その如月の望月の頃

I adore Saigyo, but I don’t have the same thought because it’s a bit too early for me to imagine my last day in this world.  Instead, I thought of coming back to Yoshino next year.  Hopefully, even the year after next, as well.

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Sakura along the Meguro River, 2015

I enjoyed cherry blossoms along Meguro River.

It was a tad early for full-bloom, but the weather was fine and I was satisfied so much.

The little difference here from other famous sakura places is that people are appreciating sakura with a glass of rose sparkling wine.

The combination of pink sakura and rose wine is beautiful.

It’s very much like Naka-Meguro, where stylish people come gather.

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sakura 2012 at Chidorigafuchi.

It was a super sunny day last Sunday. Cherry trees were almost in full bloom here and there. No weekend is complete without having Ohanami in such a lovely day! Then, I went to Chidorigafuchi and Kitanomaru Park, just North-West corner of the Royal Palace.

A picnic under sakura trees.

It must be the most gorgeous lunch.

Rowing a bout in the pink sakura tunnel. It’s like a daydream.

But things are not that easy.

People had to be waiting in line all but two hours for riding a boat on the moat.

Well aged trees stretch their branches down towards the surface of the moat.

It looks like a sakura water fall, dramatic display.