Touring around on a Rickshaw in Arashiyama, Kyoto with sakura in full bloom
From March to April, Japan is in the middle of sakura front, and the cities are colored pink by the somei-yoshino cherry blossoms. Arashiyama and Sagano in Kyoto is tinted red with beautiful crimson leaves in autumn, but during this season, the area will be covered with light pink veils in the spring haze. It is a completely different atmosphere from autumn. Let’s stroll around from Arashiyama to Sagano on a rickshaw, the most popular area of Kyoto to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom.
These days, the perfect way to enjoy sightseeing in well-known tourists areas in Japan is to take a rickshaw, and numbers of rickshaws are in operation in Kyoto, mainly in Higashiyama and Arashiyama Area. The difference from other transportation is that passengers can feel the air and smell, just like moving about like walking, as well as having a very pleasant feeling of having a higher level of eyes and enjoying the conversation with the rickshaw man.
The hour-long trip starts from Togetsukyo Bridge, the starting point of Arashiyama-Sagano sightseeing. This area has been the theme for various sightseeing photos, and cherry blossoms was at its best at the time I visited the area, packed with many cameramen with their cameras in their hands. I had an experienced rickshaw man who has been in business for six years, who seemed to know exactly what I was looking for and what I would be satisfied from his service.
Tenryu-ji Temple, registered as one of the World Heritage site, had its sakura in its best, but I decided to go to pass Tenryu-ji to go to the famous bamboo forest as it would be less crowded in the early morning time. It is soon the harvest season for the specialty of the area, bamboo shoots, but the current tranquility of the bamboo forest has an atmosphere of Kyoto’s subtleness and simplicity, a contrasting ambience from the gaiety of sakura. I went pass places related to the Tales of Genji including Nomiya Shrine and Seiryo-ji Temple. The tour is already half way through after passing Seiryo-ji Temple which was previously a mountain villa Seikakan where Minamoto-no-Toru, the model of Hikaru Genji, the leading character of the Tale of Genji used to stay.
Up north by Seiryo-ji Temple is “Hokyoin.” This is off the beaten path, a temple known to those with discerning taste. The temple was built by the orders of Emperor Shirakawa to pray for the protection of the state and prosperity of the imperial family. Its dry rock garden gained moss, surrounded with outstanding sakura and Japanese globeflower during this season. Needless to say, the garden has its best view in autumn with crimson leaves. Facing my back to the wooden statue of eleven-faced and thousand-armed bodhisattva in the main hall, the garden looks as if it is a piece of artistic painting. You can tell that this garden was designed on the premise that it will be viewed from the main hall. The tomb of a head of Masatsura Kusunoki, a warlord in Southern Dynasty era, lies in this temple. The second shogun, Yoshiakira Ashikaga of Muromachi Shogunate decided to bury him in the precincts to extol him for his distinguished service, and the shogun himself is also buried in his will. Travel around Kyoto, you’ll bump into these kind of historical connection everywhere you go.
After that, the rickshaw ran down the sakura blooming Arashiyama down to Sagano, the final stop of the short trip. There were even more people around noon, but being on a rickshaw did not make me bother about the crowd at all.
A hill called Ogura-yama stands as if it glances down the whole area of Arashiyama and Sagano. This is where the mountain villa “Shigure-tei” was, the place where Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Waka Poems of Ogura-yama) originated. Ogura Hyakunin Isshu is a private collection of waka poems selected by chronological orders by Sadaie Fujiwara, a poet of Kamakura Era, well known to Japanese being used in karuta card games. A building to enjoy Hyakunin Issue through games and exhibition is built in the center of Arashiyama. That, is, “Shigure-den,” a facility which seems to pun the word “Shigure-tei.” Operated by the world famous game manufacturer Nintendo with its headquarters in Kyoto, it has the state-of-the-art exhibitions with its high technologies. Here, you can enjoy a walk in the sky of the city of Kyoto and experience card-grabbing games.
JTB Global Marketing & Travel Inc. (JTBGMT) has put on sale the new tour series “Spring Collection” targeting the foreign travelers visiting Japan on Easter holidays. Easter, a Christian festival when the resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrated, falls on April 4 this year, and there are quite a number of holidaymakers in Europe and the United States who travel at this time taking a vacation before and after the festival. JTBGMT has lined up tours that feature cherry blossoms to spur demand and capture the incoming foreign travelers.
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