So I already visited Kyoto a few months back in September
2015. It was during Japanese public holidays so of course it was very crowded,
but I figured I would probably go back again sometime before I left Japan.
In March 2016 I returned to Kyoto, in time for cherry
blossom season (but too early for full bloom!). I honestly don't really get the
whole sakura obsession Japan goes through, complete with sakura flavoured foods
and drinks. I mean they look nice but.... I'm not going to eat a daffodil or a rose,
so why would I want to eat a cherry blossom? Anyway, back to Kyoto!
Since it was cherry blossom season and a weekend, it was
again pretty busy. In fact, I'm not really sure when you could visit Kyoto that
it wouldn't be busy. The cherry blossoms weren’t even out yet; there was maybe
like one or two trees starting to bloom wherever we went, so obviously these
were very crowded. The advantage was there were tons of young women in kimono
coming to take photos with their friends, so there were ample opportunities to
take some sly photos of them (but if you want a photo of their faces you should
always ask permission first!).
If you’re planning on coming to Japan to see cherry blossoms
my recommendation is: don’t. It’s hard to plan for (unless you’re planning on
coming for a month) and will ultimately lead to disappointment if there’s only
one tree in bloom by the time you leave, or all the leaves are blowing off. If
you insist on coming I would definitely recommend the JR Pass. The unlimited
travel included in the price means you can travel further for free, for example
if the only ones blooming are far North or South, as these could be otherwise
very expensive to get to.
As for the season and timing, it was bad since the cherry
blossoms weren’t really blooming and most of the other vegetation was also
still kinda dead. Especially at Kiyomizu dera (the big temple on the hill) the
surrounding trees and nature below looked brown and awful in comparison to when
I visited in September. The weather was also very changeable, one minute hot
and the next cold which meant we were constantly taking on and off our jackets.
I think skipping the cherry blossom crowds and coming later in around April/May
would be better, as the weather’s usually quite warm and there is more
vegetation. (However if you’re coming in May beware of Golden Week, the biggest
public holiday in Japan held start of May).
Again the public transport was annoying...especially on
weekends and during rush hour on weekdays you’ll find yourself standing on a
crowded bus stuck in stationary traffic. The bus route from Kinkakuji (the gold
temple) is probably the worst as it’s often very busy and takes a long time in
traffic to get to the station. Also, the area of Arashiyama (the bamboo forest)
is awkward to access, it means getting a long subway and then walking for
around 15mins (there is also some kind of bus option – but in my experience the
buses always run late so avoid if possible, which in Kyoto is difficult).
Despite the somewhat inconvenient public transport, taxis in Japan are very
expensive and I wouldn’t recommend one either. My best advice is to allow
plenty of time and just laugh at the experience of being wedged in public
transport in Japan. Other than that there are some bicycle rentals which could
be useful as long as it’s not too hot or too cold.
I also took another day trip to Nara and the deer park. I
noticed this time that the train from Kyoto to Nara passes through Uji, which
is famous around Japan for its green tea, so I’m sure there are some things to
do around there too. The direct train is very convenient, but Nara Park is
about 20min walk from the station when you arrive so it would probably not be a
great rainy day activity. The deer park was just as magical this time as it was
last time, and this time I brought a selfie stick too for that perfect deer
photo!
Overall, I still think Kyoto is a worthwhile place to
visit. There are many old, odd and interesting things scattered around Japan,
but Kyoto has a lot of them all in one small area, which can’t be beat.
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