PINK PARADISE

Japan has earned the distinction of being one of the most beautiful countries to visit during the spring season. It's the time of the year when the cherry blossoms or sakura, the most adored flowers of the Japanese people bloom.

On the train from Narita Airport to Tokyo, my heart jumped with joy when I saw cherry blossom trees with flowers abloom along the sides of the railroad in Chiba Prefecture. In Tokyo, we visited the Ueno Park where we witnessed many Japanese people merrily eating, drinking, singing, and chatting under the cherry blossom trees. This is called hanami or cherry blossom viewing party. I found it awesome, but little did I know that this was just a snippet of the scenes that would unfold before my very eyes in the next few days.

We took the shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo to the Kansai region where the most popular places for tourists to visit, especially during the spring season are Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara. In Kyoto, it was rather crowded at the Kiyomizu temple that we had to patiently wait for our turn to have our souvenir photos taken beside the sakura trees.

Yoshino Mountain (Nara Perfecture)

My greatest sakura experience happened aboard a helicopter. From Osaka, we flew over several mountains and hills until we were above the Yoshino Mountain in Nara Prefecture, where more than 30,000 cherry blossom trees were proudly staging the most magnificent flower dance of all time. I felt like a bird hovering above a pink paradise. Yoshino Mountain is part of a designated UNESCO World Heritage “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range”. Several temples and shrines are located around Yoshino Mountain.

Zoheikyoku (Osaka Mint Bureau) 

The gods were in our favor in Osaka because we chanced upon the zoheikyoku or the mint bureau in Osaka which opens its gates to the public for only one week every year to share the beauty and splendor of more than 300 sakura trees of different varieties inside the compound. The dates vary depending on the weather and the blooming time of the cherry blossoms. Yes, it was also crowded but the beauty of the flowers was overwhelming, especially those with multiple layers of petals which I imagined as pink Christmas balls delicately hanging and swaying with the gentle afternoon breeze.

I remember a friend from Tokyo, a retired florist who, along with other volunteers used to go to the Tohoku region to plant sakura trees. They wanted to paint a ray of hope to the hearts of the victims of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake. I asked him why sakura? He answered, “For us, sakura is a symbol of joy, beauty and hope.”



Japanese folk song

I found the English translation of the famous Japanese folk song Sakura on Wikipedia and it goes like this:

Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms (Sakura, sakura)
In fields, mountains and villages (Noyama mo sato mo)
As far as the eye can see (Mi-watasu kagiri)
Is it mist or clouds (Kasumi ka kumo ka)
Fragrant in the morning sun (Asahi ni niou)
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms (Sakura, sakura)
Flowers in full bloom (hana zakari)
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms (Sakura, sakura)
Across the spring sky (Yayoi no sora wa)
As far as the eye can see (Mi-watasu kagiri)
Is it mist or clouds (Kasumi ka kumo ka)
Fragrant in the air (Nioi zo izuru)
Come now, come now (Izaya, izaya)
Let’s go and see them (mini yukan)

Yoshino Mountain in Nara Prefecture with 30,000 sakura trees

Me and my daughter aboard the helicopter above the Yoshino Mountain

Zoheikyoku (Osaka Mint Bureau)

THE SAND, SNOW, AND SAKURA IN TOTTORI

THE SAND, SNOW, AND SAKURA IN TOTTORI

A trip to Japan is not complete without visiting the charming countrysides.

While the beech trees on the roadsides were silently bidding goodbye to winter as they beckoned the refreshing notes of spring, my eyes were glued up in awe of the majestic partly snow-covered Daisen mountain in Tottori Prefecture.

Tottori is in the Chugoku region in western Japan and sits along the coast of the Sea of Japan. Being the country’s LEAST populated prefecture with a relaxing laid-back atmosphere, Tottori is an ideal retirement place where one can commune with nature and feel the tranquility of each passing day. It is also a place for respite for anyone who desires to de-stress and be away from the chaotic web of urban life. The place is also known for the sweet and juicy nashi pears. In fact, the Tottori Nijisseiki Pear museum is dedicated to the history of pear.

The more than three-hour trip from Kobe to Tottori was worth every second. When I told some of my Japanese friends that I had been to Tottori, they were surprised because they themselves have not been to the place. For tourists like me, Tottori offered something different from the other places I visited in Japan. For one, the largest sand dunes in Japan called Tottori sakyu stretches to about 16 kilometers from east to west and about 2 kilometers from north to south. My daughter enjoyed wandering through sand heaps and flats riding a camel named Lisa, while I was mesmerized by sand ripples and the good view of the deep blue sea.

After experiencing the dry spell of the sakyu, we drove up to the Daisen mountain and frolicked in the snow. I would have loved to hike the famous trails in the area but the temperature was too cold for my tropical flesh to bear.

In the late afternoon, we walked along a street in the city lined with full bloomed cherry blossom trees. If in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto we had to inch our way through the crowd to have a closer encounter with the flowers, in Tottori, we had the sakura to ourselves. We touched and examined each part, and were completely captivated by the softest shades of pink and white petals. The gentle floral smell, with a hint of fruity scent still lingers in my memory to this day.  The serenity of the scene was made more dramatic by the lighted Japanese lanterns hanged on each tree.

In an open field nearby, we saw some locals setting up a fire and preparing food at the back of a pick-up type truck. A few minutes later when the light of day began to fade away, more trucks arrived, bringing in more food and booze. It was, indeed, a memorable celebration of the sakura season on a chilly spring evening in Tottori.

         Partly snow-covered Daisen Mountain

       

         Tottori Sakyu (sand dunes)

My daughter Hannah and camel Lisa

        Daisen Mountain

         Sakura trees (cherry blossoms)

         Locals celebrating the sakura season