I’m late posting my photo hunt entry! I hope I haven’t posted these yet as photo hunt entries. 
These are 2007 spring pictures of Kyoto – my favorite place in Japan, and I think the most beautiful, too!
Happy photo hunting!
This wouldn’t be wordless anymore but I was just happy with the output of my phone camera’s macro mode. I’ve finally tried using this feature to take close-up shots of peach blossoms at Osaka Castle Park.
Thank you for visiting and for sharing your photos! Have a nice weekend everyone!
Once again, the Sakura Hunters, equipped with 2-3 onigiri* each, headed to Kyoto for another Sakura adventure.
(1) Toji Temple
We just went there to see the 5-story pagoda but weren’t able to get close to it; not with the 1000-yen admission fee! So we just took pictures “within our reach”. ^-^
(3) Kamigamo Shrine
We went there last week but the pink sakura was not yet in “mankai*” mode. Much to our disappointment, the pink sakura tree had just started to bloom:
Inspite of the rain, a friend and I went to the Osaka Castle for Sakura viewing. We agreed that the rain might have dispersed the crowd there, and it did. Too bad there’s not much Sakura trees near the castle; too bad the Sakura trees were no longer in full bloom. Nonetheless, our little excursion was fun. ^-^ It was very hilarious seeing people hiding under under tents; some under any shade the castle grounds had to offer; instead of enjoying the party under the Sakura trees.
I’m so glad we had to work overtime on a Sunday 2 weeks ago. ^0^ Why? Because we were given a free day! So, Idel, Kagz, and I spent it Sakura hunting in Kyoto yesterday.
Here are the spots we visited:
1. Philospher’s Trail
It’s a path lined with hundreds of cherry trees beside a canal near Ginkakuji. We had a limited time so we only covered about 1/3 of the path.
2. Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion)
Unlike the Kinkaju (Golden Pavilion), this temple does not have even a single nail head painted with silver! But you could easily see that it has not underwent any major renovation. Also, its garden is fabulous, eventhough there’s not much Sakura.
3. Heian Shrine
Since this is one of the most famous tourist spots in Kyoto, the place was crowded even on a Monday! We didn’t go inside the shrine, but there’s an old Sakura outside the gate that was in full bloom:
4. Kamigamo Shrine
This was not in our original plan, however, we had a “little time” to spare and the shrine is the farthest bus stop in the north of Kyoto. We thought we would just waste our time there, but was delighted to see that the place was also amazing and not crowded! We will be going back there next week to see the pink Sakura in full bloom.
5. Arashiyama
Our expedition wouldn’t be complete without getting lost. ^-^ Yep, we “almost” got lost on our way to Arashiyama. When we reached Arashiyama, it was already dark so we could only see the lighted Sakura:
You may take a look at more pictures in flickr.
For a detailed version of this little trip, you may take a look at Idel’s entry on The Sling-bag Girls Adventure 01 ^-^
Finally, here’s my most favorite picture, the Sakura Hunters:
