SPRING IN KYOTO

Kyoto is magical, no matter how many times I visit over the years, I continue to fall in love with it every time. There’s something otherworldly about this ancient capital, still so steeped in tradition, rich in culture and hidden secrets even though copious amounts of modernity has been seeping through. That being said, it actually took me over a decade to finally visit Kyoto during cherry blossom season. I avoided travelling to Kyoto during this season due to the insane amount of both Japanese and international tourists. In fact the season I explore Kyoto the most, is the dreaded summer, hated by locals & tourists alike, but I love it! Will write more on why I love exploring Kyoto in summer soon - it deserves its own love letter.

So the great question on a lot of people’s mind is, is Kyoto in Spring worth it? My answer, yes and no, yes because its something one should see and experience at least once, to see these fragile blossoms coming to life for that short moment of time in a city full of history, full of cultural significance where there are these moments of absolute quiet serene beauty which evoke the image a lot have of this wondrous city.

However it will be tempered with crowds, impatience, frustration as people jostle trying to get that *particular* shot whether it be for their own personal memories or to be shared to go “viral” over social media. This factor is a huge “no" for me

It also depends on how you like to travel, are you that type of traveller that will wake up at the crack of dawn? to hopefully get to that popular spot with the hope that there will be no one else there so you can get *that* shot of emptiness with nothing but you in it (I did it once whilst in Kyoto and that’s all I will ever do it for ever again for sakura) or do you prefer your beauty sleep?

Honestly I personally am not that dedicated to capturing “perfect” content that much - I prefer to shoot anything I do purely around when I actually would normally be doing things, hence why a lot of my photos (especially internationally) are at that time photographers & content creators hate… high noon hahaha (if you’re shooting a person/yourself as a subject) as the light can be quite harsh.

For me though I love Kyoto and I am glad I finally visited in Spring for the blossoms… will I ever go back? The answer is probably “no” unless work takes me there, and even then I won’t be rushing to certain particular famed spots or supposed “off the beaten path” discoveries, it will be whatever I stumble upon on my usual Kyoto meanderings (and this is my personal favourite way). Otherwise I will probably return in the summer once more.

If I am to travel to “chase” the sakura, I prefer to go further afield, to the countryside (to inaka) to see it wild and blooming in all its natural beauty. One of my favourite areas is Kyushu region down south or if closer to Tokyo, Shizuoka and the gorgeous Minami Izu area (especially since everyone just does Kawazu).

Regardless read on below to see how I enjoyed Sakura season in Kyoto without getting annoyed at the visiting crowds, as there was still magical moments to be found and had which strengthened my love for Kyoto.

KEAGE INCLINE

The only well known place that I decided to visit was Keage Incline & the Philosophers Path (logistically because it made sense), purely because I like abandoned areas overgrown by nature, and the romantic appeal of these disused train tracks framed by sakura was nostalgic. In my research, a lot of blog posts mentioned that one should wake up at sunrise to try and capture the tracks as empty as possible… so I thought ok I will do it once and see how it goes as this was really the only ‘famed’ place I wanted to capture - so I begrudgingly set my alarm and woke up at a gawd-awful hour for me (think like 5.30am) when it’s still dark and Spring in Japan is not warm, its quite cold especially early morning!

Walked to Keage Incline from my hotel (memory serves about 30mins) daylight was finally rising by the time I got there… and what do you think - was I the first/early one there?? My goodness absolutely not!! Blog/content creators probably arrive just after the sun is risen when it’s actually a clear daylight… but photographers… photographers who love it for the art, for that early morning light - they are there when its still dark waiting…there was a whole group of them lined across the tracks who had all been patiently waiting for that moment the sun’s morning light starts to glow across the horizon….

I can imagine how absolutely lovely & magnificent their shots are, so I utterly commend them for their time, patience and dedication… but lol I am not that dedicated in getting that ‘perfect’ shot, (though I definitely appreciate their work), I am fine with a bit of imperfection. So even if you wake up early, probably in Kyoto you still won’t get a popular place all to yourselves - btw this was a weekday - I would never visit such a locale on a weekend or public holiday!

WALKING FROM KEAGE INCLINE TO PHILOSOPHER’S PATH

One of my favourite places in Kyoto is the Philosopher’s Path, I hadn’t visited in years but logistically (and if you’re a person who likes to walk to explore) one can walk from the upper end of Keage Incline up, around and through the back following the shallow irrigation channel (bringing water from Lake Biwa) which will take you behind Nanzenji Temple’s iconic brick aqueduct and then onto the “beginning” of the Philosopher’s Path.

Though it’s a path that has been well traversed, I feel that many people (except Japanese and a few adventurous tourists) don’t always take this path (perhaps rushed for time) or at least walk the entire way. However if you can make the time for it, it s a walk I greatly enjoy, with picturesque views of Kyoto - one can spot the giant red torii gate of Heian Shrine in the distance and it allows you that quiet solitude after the crowded-ness Keage Incline can have (especially as it hits late morning). I adore it (bring snacks & water with you, especially if you had an early morning start)