We planned to visit Tokyo and Kyoto this spring to see the cherry blossoms (and associated festivities) to fulfill a "bucket list" item both Dana and I have long held. And as you might imagine, that's a fairly popular thing to want to do and so travel arrangements need to be made many months in advance. But it's tricky because the window is relatively narrow (sometimes just a week) and it varies from year to year depending on how mother nature's transition from winter to spring plays out. We looked at cherry blossom seasons from the past couple of years and took an average of the beginning, peak and end of the cherry blossom season and made our reservations six plus months ago. We booked a full two-week visit (a week each in Tokyo then Kyoto) in hopes the wider window would increase our odds of hitting the cherry blossom jackpot. As we approached spring, it looked like our guess was going to pay off. But the four weeks prior to our planned departure, Japan plunged unexpectedly back into winter weather and with each passing week, the forecasted cherry blossom peak moved steadily later. The drama was almost unbearable. Upon arrival in Tokyo, there was scarcely a blossom in sight. And was it cold! By the end of our planned week in Tokyo, we'd seen a few example blossoming trees, but nothing of the sort or scale for which Japan is legendary. And Kyoto was cold too—with even fewer blossoming trees than we saw in Tokyo. But day by day it warmed up and by our final day, there were some stellar examples upon which to feast our eyes and cameras. Here are some of the better shots. Hope you enjoy!
(The first three are from Tokyo and the rest from Kyoto)
