Nara: ‘Tis Cherry Blossom Season!

The ancient city of Nara in the Kinki
region is less than an hour away fromboth Osaka and Kyoto. A past capital,
thereare many

precious historicalbuildings in this area. Indeed, Nara issaid to have the highest number ofbuildings

designatedasnational

treasures in Japan. At the same time,
the natural environment is colorful too.
Although there is no ocean, many steep
mountains tower over the region’s central and southern parts, with numerous temples
and shrines sitting quietly among them. Come spring, Mount Yoshino, which isrepresentative of Nara and is designated as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, isawash in cherry blossoms, and many people flock to see them.
In 2021 I visited Nara just when the news was reporting that Mount Yoshino’s
sakura were in full blossom.

1. Mount Yoshino
Video: https://youtu.be/S3pMna5TYs0

About a 90-minute drive from the center of Nara City, after following a hilly area for awhile, a mountain dyed in the color of cherry blossoms came into view. There are said toIHCSA Café

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be 30,000 cherry trees here planted in the Heian period (794–1185), and just as I had
heard, the sight was splendid. In early April the blossoms open up in order, starting at
the foot of the mountain. In particular, the highlight is a breathtaking area called
Kamisenbon (literally, Upper 1,000 Trees), which is said to be the very best place inJapan for viewing cherry blossoms. On that day there were many sightseers standing inawe at the sight of Japan’s sakura.

2. Tanzan Shrine
Video: https://youtu.be/3sS--SrdfFo

Descending Mount Yoshino and driving for about 30 minutes, I came to Tanzan Shrine,
which was built about 1,400 years ago and is another popular sakura spot. The shrine’s
name is thought to come from the fact that discussion of the Taika Reform (a series ofreforms from 645 to 649) took place here. (In Japanese, “Tanzan” means “mountain ofdiscussion.”)Tanzan Shrine iswellknown

forbeing dedicated toFujiwara

noKamatari(614–669), a politician ofthe Asuka period(593–710).
TheIHCSA Caféshrine’s

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13-story pagoda, which stands at a highpoint in the sloping grounds, is beautiful.
And the Usuzumi Zakura cherry tree,
which stands alongside the pagoda and issaid to be 600 years old, is a must-see.

3. Ishibutai Tomb
Video: https://youtu.be/J68FqaR0_cU

Further to the north I came to thevillage of Asuka, which is known
as the spiritual hometown of theJapanese.

Manyhistoricalremains dating back to the Asuka
period have been unearthed inthis village, which in the past
used to share the same kanji asthe era name. The Ishibutai Tomb
is designated as a special historical site; one leading theory is that Soga no Umako (?–626), a politician of the Asuka period, is buried here. The tumulus consists of piles ofhuge stones. It is strange to think that a thousand and several hundred years ago it waspossible to manually build such a structure. The cherry trees surrounding the tomb werein blossom, and many families and others were enjoying picnics in the vicinity.

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4. Muroji Temple
Video: https://youtu.be/aPZP6HhZXPw

Muroji temple is situated in the eastern mountainous area of Nara Prefecture. Muro isthe geographical name of the district where monks used to escape from the mundane
world and practice ascetism. While Mount Koya, also of the Shingon Sect, prohibited
women from entering, Muroji allowed women to worship there as early as the Edo period(1603–1868). That is the reason why the temple is nicknamed “The Women’s Mount Koya”(nyonin Koya). The Kondo main hall, which is a national treasure, has a solemnatmosphere. Beyond its roof, I could see the beautiful cherry trees swaying in the breeze.

5. Chogakuji Temple
Video: https://youtu.be/nRhgT9YCW6g

Chogakuji, again a temple of the Shingon Sect, was built in the ninth century. When I
entered through the Daimon main gate, the pond-centered landscape garden and cherrytrees were beautiful. The azaleas, which blossom in May, are wonderful, and the Hirado
azaleas at this temple, about 1,000 of them, are famous. You can enjoy admiring theIHCSA Café

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cherry blossoms while strolling around the pond. Chogakuji’s masterpiece painting ofhell is open to the public only in the autumn of every year; its size and elaborateness arewithout parallel.

6. Horyuji Temple
Video: https://youtu.be/F9NL9auzVM8

Located in the town of Ikaruga, in the western part of Nara Prefecture, Horyuji temple
has closed associations with Prince Shotoku (574–622), and it has extant structures thatare the oldest wooden buildings in the world. Horyuji was built in the seventh century.
Cherry trees have been planted as if to surround the complex of buildings; they really doIHCSA Café

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illuminate the precincts of about 180,000 square meters.

7. Todaiji Temple
Video: https://youtu.be/vz6t9RQxP0gTodaiji temple is said to have been erected in the Nara period (710–794) as a national
project on the orders of Emperor Shomu (701–756). As suggested by these illustriousorigins, its presence and dignified atmosphere are overwhelming. In particular, at thecenter of it all, the Great Buddha Hall is awesome and visited by many people. As thename suggests, this hall houses a statue called the Great Buddha of Nara, an image
representing the Buddha Birushana, regarded by some as the central Buddha. Thestatue seems to keep a watchful eye over visitors, who also enjoy the cherry trees plantedin the vicinity.

8. Nara Park
Video: https://youtu.be/0MoCAyheJOQ

The park immediately adjacent to Todaiji is Nara Park, which is famous for its freeroaming deer. The official name for the entire space, including Todaiji, is “NaraPrefectural Municipal Park, Nara Park.” The green grass and cherry blossoms arebeautiful. There are said to be about 1,300 deer in the park. Regarded as messengers ofthe gods, they are carefully protected. The picture of tame deer and cherry blossoms is
most soothing.

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International Hospitality and Conference Service Association (IHCSA)Postscript
I followed the cherry blossoms of Nara northward from Mount Yoshino in the center ofthe prefecture. Nara does not cry out that it was an ancient capital, like Kyoto, and does
not have the hustle and bustle of Osaka, but my trip to photograph the cherry blossoms
made me somehow aware of the weight of its history and gracefulness of an ancientcapital. Nara is known for the beauty of its autumn foliage as well. The splendid cherry
blossoms and ancient city ambience go very well together, but the autumn colors surely
create an atmosphere befitting an old city too. As I left Nara, I told myself that I should
definitely come again in the fall.

Photos and text: Arata Matsumoto, Sharata and Adwise, Inc. (http://www.sharata.net/)(Sharata supplies 4K videos of outstanding scenery in Japan so that as many people aspossible can enjoy it.)IHCSA Café

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