Nguyen Anh Chiem and his wife, from Hanoi, went to the ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto during cherry blossom season in late March.
Cherry blossoms herald spring in Japan, blooming from late March to early May for about seven to 15 days, depending on the location and weather. This year, according to the Meteorological Agency, the flowers began blooming in the ancient capital of Nara (pictured) on March 25 and were in full bloom by April 2. Nara, also known as Heijo-kyo, was founded in 710.
After receiving the blooming schedule, Mr. Nguyen Anh Chiem, 42 years old, and his wife, Ms. Do Thi Quynh, 39 years old, set off to Japan to "hunt for flowers". The places they chose to visit were the ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto. They came here from March 26 to 30, which was also the time when the cherry blossoms were at their most beautiful.
The photo shows rows of cherry blossoms blooming white along the Takada River. The 3 km long riverbank is lined with thousands of cherry trees and is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.
Quynh said that tourists and locals flocked to see the flowers in large numbers. She and her husband had to get up early, at 5:30 a.m., to take advantage of the quiet time to get the best photos. The photo shows the road leading to the famous Matabei cherry tree, located in Uda City, about 40 km from Nara City.
This is the 300-year-old Matabei cherry blossom tree, with a trunk circumference of 3 m and a height of 13 m, named after Matabei Goto, a general of the Sengoku period (15th-16th century). According to legend, Goto came to this place to live in seclusion and became a monk, spending the rest of his life in Uda. This place became more famous after appearing in a TV drama. NHK . This place once attracted more than 70,000 visitors during the blooming season.
Cherry blossoms bloom on Mount Yoshino, part of Yoshino-Kumano National Park, which spans Nara, Mie and Wakayama prefectures. This is one of the best cherry blossom viewing spots in the country, with over 30,000 trees. The flowers bloom from late March to the end of April.
The easiest way to get to this area, according to Japan Travel, From Kyoto Station, take the Kintetsu Line to Yoshino Station, which takes 1 hour and 45 minutes. Alternatively, visitors can go from Osaka, from Abenohashi Station, take the Kintetsu Minami Line to Yoshino Station, which takes 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Flowers bloom in front of the Tsubosaka statue at the temple of the same name, located in Takaichi Ward, Nara. The temple dates back to the 700s and is famous for its cherry blossom trees and giant Buddha statue.
The temple is a blend of Japanese and Indian styles, with many Buddha statues carved in Indian culture. There is also a sanctuary built similar to the Taj Mahal. The reliefs here are made of white stone, a gift from India to thank the temple for helping and caring for lepers. Tsubosaka is also known as a healing temple, with a legend about a monk with miraculous healing powers.
An old house on the way to Kyoto. This was the first time coming to Japan, but because of their love for mountains and wild nature, Mr. Chiem and Ms. Quynh chose the Nara-Kyoto route instead of the capital Tokyo. He said that the weather in Japan is currently cold at night and early morning, and warm in the afternoon. "It's cold but dry, so it's a bit uncomfortable," he said.
The Golden Temple of Konkani-ji in the ancient capital of Kyoto. The temple has three floors, the first floor is called the Dharma Water Temple, made of wood, with white plaster walls. The first floor was built simply to enhance the brilliance of the two upper floors. The remaining two floors have walls covered in gold leaf, inside are statues of Bodhisattvas, and are built in the Chinese architectural style. The third floor is covered in gold both inside and out, and on top of the temple is a golden phoenix statue.
Mr. Chiem said he was very excited about this trip to Japan. In addition to being able to "feast his eyes" on cherry blossoms, he also learned more about the culture, cuisine and life of the people here, which inspired him to continue traveling around the world.
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