This is one of the most famous sakura sightseeing spots in Kyoto. Once this pathway could put you in deep thought about life while you walk under the sakura trees, is now crowded with tourists. I couldn’t blame them though, as even the reflection of the sakura along the small stream lining the path could even make you at daze in its beauty.
My Japanese friend invited me to go and experience an ochakai or tea party. Here, they performed tea ceremony and laid out sweets and whisked maccha to the guests. But it wasn’t as simple as that. I have to learn gestures and phrases, and then practice them before I could even go to this ochakai. The guests are seated on the floor, and you have to say certain things to your left and right neighbor, and also to the server, when you receive your snack and maccha. It’s very interesting experience. After drinking the maccha, we were then to enjoy the artworks around the tea room with reverence.
We also went here in a perfect timing as the shidare-zakura in the temple grounds are in full bloom.
Konkaikoumyou-ji, or more commonly known as Kurodani-dera, is located along the steep slope of the Yoshida hill in the Sakyo ward of Kyoto. Climbing the stairs towards the temple gate can be a bit exhausting, but you’ll be rewarded with a great view of the surrounding city.
It was my first sakura season back in 2016. I went to Kyoto Gyo-en or Imperial Garden and I remember biking there, which was rather tricky because of the rocky path, and I fell!
But anyway, it was a pleasant afternoon among the shidare-zakura under the warm spring sunlight.
It’s been half a year since my last post! It only shows how busy I had been these past few months. Lab experiments were fun, challenging and can be time-demanding and so I haven’t been able to do blogging, much less sightseeing these days. I am currently cramming the data I’ll be presenting for this week’s symposium abroad. After this, I will definitely slow down and relax, and go around Kyoto!
While it’s already summer here, I’ll be sharing some off-season pictures for these coming posts.
And yes, I went to Kamigamo-jinja, the sister shrine of Shimogamo-jinja and another World Heritage Site. It’s a large complex located along the upper banks of the Kamogawa and near the mountains. But I think I still prefer Shimogamo-jinja for its tranquil forest. Nevertheless, it was beautiful with canals intertwining some parts of the shrine.
Beatific 