flying twigs

Kyoto was the capital of Japan before Tokyo became the capital. Even before Kyoto was the capital, Nara was the capital of Japan. And here is the Toda-ji temple in Nara. Look at the size of the people walking up to the temple and you can get some kind of an idea of its size.

Kyoto was the capital of Japan before it moved to Tokyo. The move came because of the end of the isolationist period in Japanese history. It came with the end of the Shogunate and the restoration of the Meiji monarchy that continues until today.

You should understand that when Nara was the capital, Japan was a closed countries to foreigners. That is except for a restricted number of Dutch and Portuguese merchant ships.

Sakoku is a Japanese word that means to cut off extraneous inputs so as to allow one to think more freely. Kurogune means Black Ships and symbolises the end of isolation because of a superior force from outside.

For several hundred years the Japanese allowed only very limited contact with outside countries. Then came the Black Ships.

The Black Ships (kurofune) was the name given to Western ships arriving in Japan in the 16th and 19th centuries. In particular, kurofune refers to four ships under the command of Commodore Matthew Perry.

They arrived in Edo harbour on July 14, 1853, requesting the opening of Japan. Their technology made it obvious to the Japanese that they could not withstand the might of America.

You could say that Toda-ji temple represents the time when Japan thought of itself as a perfect heaven on Earth. But outside, the Black ships were waiting.

Cherry Blossom

Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossom. Hanami is the Japanese word for cherry blossom viewing, which is important in traditional Japanese culture including today.

That’s clear from the numbers of people we saw doing exactly that – looking at cherry blossom. And of course, the cherry blossom is the national symbol of Japan.

Toda-ji Temple is one of many places to see cherry blossom. There’s a cherry blossom season in March and April. But it varies depending on where you are in Japan. Japan is a long chain of islands running from the south west to the north east. The chan of islands is two thousand miles long. So there’s a temperature difference between the two. And of course the blossom happens earlier in the warmer south than in the colder north.

You can track the progress of the blossom as it moves from Kyushu in the south to Hokkaido in the north.

With climate change the blossom season may be on time or it may be later. In 2024 it was a good ten days later than the usual time.

Blossom viewing is well organised. The staff at your hotel will look up the blossom tracking maps online. Or you can read the latest information from the newspapers.

Types and Where To See Them

Somei Yoshino Cherry – tends to white when open and only looks pinkish as it is opening. In Tokyo you can see them around the Chidorigafuchi moat. That is the moat that runs around the Imperial Palace. You can also see them along the Nakameguro river, and at Yoyogi park

Kawazu sakura Cherry is the earliest blooming and it is a deeper pink. In Tokyo you can see the blossom at the Sakura jingu shrine

Yaezakura is late blooming and has double petals and there are lots of places to see them.

The Shidare Zakura is a weeping cherry and a mid pink. It blooms around same time as Yoshino, and in Tokyo you can see the blossom in Rokugien park. In Kyoto you can see it in Maruyama park and at the Heian jingu shrine.