Cherry Blossoms 2011: Yoshino Report (4/13)
| Cherry Blossom Report 2011 Official cherry blossom reports by japan-guide.com |  |
This year's cherry blossom season will be overshadowed by the tremendous loss caused by the recent earthquake. However, we believe that the blossoms will serve as symbols of hope and resilience and a source of motivation along Japan's road to recovery. With this in mind, we never hesitated to go ahead with our annual reports in order to inform travelers in Japan and readers across the world about this year's cherry blossom season.
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2011/04/13 - Yoshino Report
by francois
Today I took a day trip to Yoshinoyama (Mount Yoshino), one of the most famous cherry blossom spots in Japan. About 30,000 cherry trees are distributed along the mountainside, and when the blossoms open in the spring it makes for truly breath-taking views. An interesting aspect of the area is that the blossoms at different elevations are at different stages of development, so that visitors can see flowers that are at full bloom at the base of the mountain and then nothing but unopened buds at the top. Furthermore, the flower viewing season is extended considerably as full bloom doesn't just finish in one area but moves upward along the mountainside.
Scott visited the mountain five days ago for the April 8 Cherry Blossom Report and found the cherry blossoms to be at an early stage. Even in the earliest blooming lower region (Shimo Senbon) half of the flowers had yet to open. Since then the lower region has reaches full bloom and flowers are opening all along the mountain. Today I saw wonderfully colored scenery, which will continue throughout the week as full bloom moves into higher elevations. I suspect Yoshino will be at its seasonal best in a couple days when full bloom reached the middle region (Naka Senbon), where some of the most spectacular groups of trees are located.
Shimo Senbon (lower area)
April 13, 2011 - full bloom
The Shimo Senbon area has reached full bloom and should continue to be very attractive for the next day or two, after which the petals will begin to fall in greater numbers. Despite being a Wednesday, the area's shops and restaurants were very busy, so crowds should be expected by travelers visiting the area.
Nyoirinji Temple
April 8, 2011 - full bloom
Today I visited the Nyoirinji Temple for the first time, which is located off of Yoshino's main path. The temple was attractive and had some nice views across a valley onto the main area of the Naka Senbon (middle area), but I wouldn't recommend it to travelers visiting Yoshino for the first time unless they have already explored the main temples already and have some energy left over.
Naka Senbon (middle area)
April 13, 2011 - approaching full bloom (50-80%)
As I mentioned after I visited Yoshino just over a year ago for the April 6, 2011 Cherry Blossom Report, the Naka Senbon is my favourite area of Yoshino. The streets are not as crowded as in the Shimo Senbon, and the area is not as remote or hard to reach as the Kami Senbon (upper area). The area also has Kinpusenji, the mountain's leading temple. My experiences today did not change my opinion. The area should reach full bloom before the weekend and continue to be attractive into early next week.
For me, the best part of a visit to the Naka Senbon is choosing a site at one of its many parks to enjoy a hanami party. There is a great abundance of green space so despite the many people one does not feel crowded and can enjoy the fresh air of the mountains.
Kami Senbon (upper area)
April 8, 2011 - just opened (0-10%)
Reaching the upper Kami Senbon area is quite a hike compared to getting to the first two areas. At the moment the flowers are just beginning to open, so it probably won't be until next week when the flowers reach full bloom. Travelers who can't get to Yoshino until then will stay have a chance to find flowers at full bloom.
Past the Kami Senbon there is still one more region, the Oku Senbon (inner area), which I did not visit today. This area surely has not seen its flowers open yet, but will be the last possible place to find cherry blossoms on the mountain before the season is finished.
My last stop of the day was the Kami Senbon's Hanayagura Viewpoint. There are other lookout point further up the mountain, such as the Takagiyama Obervation Deck, but while they are nice the the flowers become too distant or obscured by . When I visited at the end of the day during last year's visit, I quickly took some pictures and headed back down the mountain. This year I was smart to enough to enjoy the beautiful landscape more leisurely.
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List of Posts:
2011/05/09 - Sapporo Report 2011/05/06 - Hakodate Report 2011/05/02 - Kakunodate Report 2011/05/01 - Hirosaki Report 2011/04/29 - Kitakami Report 2011/04/22 - Aizu Report 2011/04/21 - Sendai Report 2011/04/20 - Fujigoko Report 2011/04/19 - Tokyo Report 2011/04/16 - Kyoto Report 2011/04/15 - Osaka Report 2011/04/14 - Tokyo Report 2011/04/14 - Kanazawa Report 2011/04/13 - Yoshino Report 2011/04/12 - Kyoto Report 2011/04/12 - Okayama Report 2011/04/11 - Tokyo Report 2011/04/11 - Takamatsu Report 2011/04/10 - Osaka Report 2011/04/10 - Matsuyama Report 2011/04/09 - Kyoto Report 2011/04/08 - Tokyo Report 2011/04/08 - Yoshino Report 2011/04/07 - Hiroshima Report 2011/04/07 - Iwakuni Report 2011/04/07 - Nagoya Report 2011/04/06 - Kyoto Report 2011/04/05 - Tokyo Report 2011/04/04 - Kyoto Report 2011/04/03 - Fukuoka Report 2011/04/02 - Tokyo Report 2011/04/01 - Kyoto Report 2011/04/01 - Kagoshima Report 2011/03/31 - Kumamoto Report 2011/03/31 - Fukuoka Report 2011/03/30 - Tokyo Report 2011/03/30 - Kochi Report 2011/03/29 - Kyoto Report 2011/03/28 - Himeji Report 2011/03/27 - Tokyo Report |
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