Sakura in Kyoto 🌸

Cherry blossoms 🌸 finally arrived in Kyoto. For Japanese people this is a very special time. The pink or white flowers bloom before the green leaves return after winter - making the contrast against the dark tree branches especially striking.

It also means crowds. A lot of them.

One day I lost to feeling unwell - resting in the camper on a parking lot instead of exploring what is probably the most beautiful city in Japan. But Kyoto offers second chances. In the evening, after tourists disappear, the narrow alleys of Gion grow quiet. Then, suddenly, geisha glide past - silent and fast, vanishing around corners just as quickly as they appear. The famous karyūkai - „the world of flowers and willows” - stays hidden from foreign cameras, and maybe that’s how it should be.. 😌 (In a way, it’s balanced out by the many blonde beauties in rental kimonos and sneakers rushing through the lanes, phones in hand).

Still, the day had its highlights. A ride along the Philosopher’s Path, a rare visit to Hōnen-in Temple (open only for a few weeks each year), a relaxing soak in the local sentō Sakura-yu, drinking warm amazake together under the open sky and a spontaneous purchase of a beautiful haori 👘 made it memorable.Read more