Cherry-blossom viewing trip

Yoshino is best known for cherry blossoms. My friend, Lawrence, operating Unbeaten Japan, organized a cherry-blossom viewing trip on April 9 and 10. 24 members enjoyed nice weather and the full bloom timing.

YOSHINO AND CHERRY BLOSSOMS

Yoshino is a county in Nara Prefecture, located next to Kyoto. Mt. Yoshino is selected as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004. Yoshino is mountain terrain and far from ancient former capital cities in Nara or Kyoto, so the ancient rulers/governors at different times who were once defeated in power struggles often bided their time there. One of the earliest examples is Prince O-ama (Later Emperor Tenmu) in the latter half of the 7th century.

Cherry blossom is a cultural icon of the place. In spring, the whole mountain is covered by over 20,000 pink-blooming cherry blossom trees, and therefore Yoshino has been one of the best Spring destinations in Japan since ancient times. 
With such visual appeal and history, some popular works for Japanese traditional drama such as Kabuki and Noh are set in Yoshino and have been performed often to date.

For more details, please see below:
https://www.visitnara.jp/destinations/area/yoshino/

However, nature, particularly the weather in mountains is fickle. It’s very difficult to predict accurately when we can see the full bloom. Rising temperatures in April may accelerate the blooming drastically. In reverse, a rainy day during the full bloom could terminate the year’s cherry blossom season too easily.

ARRANGEMENTS

The planning and organization were done by Lawrence, operating Unbeaten Japan. As no one had slept overnight in our house for more than 15 years, we had to renew the gas and water supply facilities including the toilet toward the event. Also, the house was cleaned at a feverish pitch. Then we got HEA and furniture like fridge and bedding.

The communication with local community was also essential. We informed neighbors of the event, as few people visit the village nowadays. 

Also, I needed to confirm that the local authority doesn’t ban BBQ. By fears of fire incidents, some cities/towns in Japan prohibit BBQ and open burnings even in private properties. Then we checked with the neighbors, as the wooden houses are densely packed in the area and community people might be sensitive. After all, however, as too many people joined the event, more than a half of visitors cooked dinner in the kitchen and ate it in the living room.

TRAVELING TO YOSHINO

I got up at 4:30am to go from Tokyo to Yoshino on the day of the event on April 9. As always, first I went to Kyoto by bullet train, Shinkansen, then transferred to the express to Yoshino. The express is usually almost empty. However, the seats of the day were fully occupied by tourists rushing to cherry blossoms. I ended up going there by a local train.  

DAY 1: SATURDAY, APRIL 9

The participants met up at the nearest station at 4:50pm. The almost all members came from Osaka, the second biggest prefecture in Japan and next to Nara. We had a dinner party and stayed at our main house. 

Almost all participants are friend of Lawrence, so it was easy to know each other. The company had a good vibe. We chilled out at the kitchen, the living room, and the backyard. 

Some members went out for a drive for illuminated cherry blossoms at night. 

DAY 2: SUNDAY, APRIL 10

Almost all members are foreigners, but they’re self-organized travelers who know Japan well. Members are naturally split into some groups: some members got up at 4:30am to see the sunrise in Mt. Yoshino by car; others departed for the mountain about 8:30am on foot.

I joined the latter. It takes about 2 hours from our house to the main sightseeing area. Good goers can enjoy walking seeing cherry blossoms while a lot of tourists are stuck in traffic or seeking parking lots.

The center of Mt.Yoshino is a calm but famous tourist site throughout the year (though I could say “vibrant” only during the cherry blossom and autumn foliage seasons.). So, there’re a lot of shops and restaurants.

The event didn’t have the specific ending time. Each member went back to our house when s/he wanted. Then they took a break, waited for the express, then left our house. Actually, I had to leave our house earlier than others as it takes 5 hours for me to go home. Lawrence cleared up the house after the event.

It was a trial event, and I have to say the facilities were still poor to welcome guests. But I hope all members enjoyed it. Thank you very much for Lawrence and Unbeaten Japan for organizing the event!