Ever heard of sakura blooming during autumn? Well, that is not a fantasy because there is a place in Japan where this happens. The town is called Obara, which is popular for shikizakura (四季桜 four-season cherry blossoms), and not too far from Nagoya.
My destination for this trip was the Senmi Shikizakura no Sato — farther than the more popular Obara Fureai Park.
I was really looking forward to wearing a kimono since that is part of my bucket list. Despite previous trips in Japan, it was not a top of mind activity due to the extreme cold weather (winter and early spring).
One of the popular kimono rental shops in Kyoto is wargo and I chose their branch in Gion as they have a bigger selection of kimono designs and it was the area where I wanted to go around while in kimono.
Highlight of the afternoon in Kyoto was wearing kimono but since I arrived an hour earlier than expected, I decided to visit Yasaka-jinja (again).
I was surprised to see that there were still food stalls even if there was no festival or illumination night. The stalls were fewer though compared to our visit in 2017 when there was Higashiyama Hanatouro.
I rode the train going back to Kyoto Station and from there, I was supposed to take the bus to Kiyomizudera but lo and behold, the line for that bus stop was so looooong. So bye to that idea!
I was curious what I could find at the topmost floor of Kyoto Station so I took all escalators going up.
While planning the Kansai Region trip last year, I read that this temple is at its best during spring and autumn so my expectations were high… and it did not disappoint! Even at the parking area, people were already having their pictures taken.
I bought the ticket for both main hall and garden (¥800) entrance passes, with the temple being my first order of business. No shoes allowed, by the way!
Good thing the rain stopped after finishing breakfast so I got to enjoy the view at Togetsukyo Bridge.
While it was a gloomy weather, that didn’t stop me from feeling happy because of the autumn colors. During my 2017 visit, the trees were either green or bare since it was still early spring.
I wanted to visit Arashiyama again without a crowd so we got the earliest Shinkansen from Nagoya i.e., the Nozomi line at 06:20.
It was good that it wasn’t too crowded yet so there was still some semblance of tranquility despite tourists talking to each other. There was some drizzle but not enough to get us soaked.
It’s the continuation of the Kimi no Na wa seichi junrei (聖地巡礼 – anime pilgrimage) in Gifu Prefecture – but this time in the town of Hida-Furukawa.
Just in the area of HIDA-FURUKAWA STATION, I was already able to capture 3 shots similar to Kimi no Na wa frames!
For the first day of my one-week trip, it was dedicated to doing the Kimi no Na wa seichi junrei (聖地巡礼 – anime pilgrimage) in Gifu Prefecture.
First stop was Takayama and from Nagoya Station, the train ride (reserved seating) was almost 2 hours.
Breaking my 2-month writing hiatus… So, I’m sharing day “zero” from my recently concluded Japan trip — this was when we flew to Chubu Centrair International Airport.
