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These past few years, I thought that I have taken so many photos of cherry blossoms so far and so I won’t go to take photos of cherry blossoms this year before their blooming. When cherry blossoms finally started blooming, however, I went here and there to take photos of cherry blossoms. So, you see, I took a lot of photos of cherry blossoms this year too. Any Japanese including me loves cherry blossoms, because, maybe, we can notice that spring has come by the start of cherry blossom season. These days, besides places famous for cherry blossoms, we can see cherry blossoms anywhere, for example, in parks newly developed, and as street trees. The most common is Someiyoshino, which is a variety of artificially created cherry tree, and you generally see it in Japan now. It has many advantages, for example, the number can be easily increased, it grows fast, and many flowers open at once. The flowering time of cherry blossoms becomes a topic of conversation every year. According to one of the forecasts, it is said that when the sum of the highest temperatures from the first of February is more than 600 degrees Celsius, the cherry blossoms may come out.
I’ll tell you about the cherry blossoms seen this year below.
1. Kyoto Gyoen (Kyoto Imperial Palace Park)
Kyoto Gyoen, having an area of about 100 hectares, was a place where emperors lived and engaged in politics over 1,000 years from the Heian Period to the Meiji Period, and a court noble residence area was formed so that the residences enclosed Kyoto Gosho (the Imperial Palace) in the late Edo Period. In the Meiji Period, the Imperial Palace and the court noble residences fell into ruin for a while, because the capital was moved to Tokyo and so the Emperor and court nobles moved to Tokyo. The place, however, was turned into a park removing the residences and planting trees and shrubs by Kyoto Prefecture and Kyoto citizens (Ouchi Preservation Activity). Kyoto Gyoen has some facilities such as Kyoto Guest House in addition to Kyoto Gosho.
About 60 weeping cherry trees are planted in the site of Konoe Residence in Kyoto Gyoen, which are well-known as early blooming cherry trees. The cherry trees were in full bloom when I went there on the 30th of March, and I was satisfied with the blossoms in the early afternoon and towards nightfall.
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Cherry blossoms at early afternoon
Cherry blossoms at early evening
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Cherry blossoms at early afternoon
Cherry blossoms at early evening
2. Nishinomaru Garden in Osaka Castle
Nishinomaru Garden in which the residence of Nene (the legal wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi) stood, having an area of about 6.5 hectares, opened in 1965. From the garden we can see the castle tower and beautiful stone walls of Osaka Castle. The garden, which has about 300 cherry trees including Someiyoshino, and is one of the most famous hanami spots. The cherry blossoms were only half in bloom when I visited there on the first of April. The three turrets were specifically opened this year and I could also see the cherry blossoms from the turrets.
3. Nishimuko
Nishimuko Station on the Hankyu Railway is the nearest station to Remains of Nagaoka-kyo, which is an ancient capital. In 784, the capital was moved from Heijyo-kyo to Nagaoka-kyo, but it could be maintained for only 10 years, and it was moved to Heian-kyo in 794. For this reason, the existence of Nagaoka-kyo was questioned for a long period of time as a “phantom capital.” In 1954, however, private citizens began the excavation, they found remains of facilities of the capital such as Dairi (Imperial Palace), Daigokuden and Chodoin (Diet Buildings), and finally the site was designated as a National Historical Site in 1964.
Now, the Remains of Nagaoka-kyo are maintained as a park, which give recreation and relaxation to local people and visitors. The area was prospered before the capital came, and has ancient tombs, and old shrines and temples, in and around which cherry trees are planted. Further, about 300 cherry trees are planted as a street tree in residential areas around the Nishimuko Station. On the day I visited, it was fine and cloudless, and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. The whole of Nishimuko area was filled with cherry blossoms on that day.
4. Sewaritei Bank
Sewaritei Bank, having a whole length of about 1.4 kilometers, is located in Yawata City in Kyoto Prefecture, and was set up so that it separated Ujigawa River from Kizugawa River at the confluence of the two rivers. About 240 cherry trees are planted on the bank, and is one of the best cherry blossom-viewing spots. The lines of cherry trees that we see now, were the lines of pine trees up to 1970, but the pine trees withered due to pine wilt disease. The transplantation from pine trees to cherry trees and the production of promenades proceeded from 1978, and the lines of cherry trees have been open to the public since April of 1988. The cherry trees, planted on both sides of the promenade, bloom when spring has come, and the blossoms form tunnels of cherry blossoms, through which many people can stroll. 400,000 people or more go to see the cherry blossoms every year. In September of 2018, however, the strong winds of Typhoon No. 21 broke the branches of about 230 cherry trees, and mowed down about 20 cherry trees from the base of the trees. The area was temporarily closed, but people could already see cherry blossoms in the spring of the next year, 2019, by the efforts of many people. I went to see the cherry blossoms on the Sewaritei Bank this year for the first time. I was overwhelmed by the size and the luxury of the cherry trees and blossoms. The people who knew the cherry blossoms there from old days, however, say that the cherry blossoms cannot yet recover the past luxury.
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