I went in search of cherry blossom in Japan, these spots stunned me

This retired Sydney police officer timed her trip to Japan to see trees she had dreamt about since she was a child - and the displays she witnessed did not disappoint. 

“I’ve always had an interest in Japan and cherry blossoms. I was nine when my father brought a Japanese colleague home for dinner and he showed us pictures of his home and the cherry blossom trees,” says Marea Rayment, a retired police inspector.

Marea travelled with Bunnik Tours from late March to mid-April last year on what was originally planned as a retirement trip for her husband before Covid hit.

“We specifically chose that time of year to maximise our opportunity to see the sakura. Our Japanese guide, a woman in her 70s, was so excited by the amount of cherry blossoms we saw.

“The sighting of our first cherry blossom at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo was joyful. I felt a kind of spirituality and calm when standing under the trees.”

Cherry blossom fan Marea Rayment and her husband John on tour in Japan.

Here, she shares her favourite Japanese cherry blossom destinations:

Philosopher’s Walk, Kyoto

My favourite cherry blossom experience in Japan was the Philosopher’s Walk in Kyoto. It was a serene, postcard-perfect vision. I was overwhelmed to see the number of trees lining the canal with a running stream and sakura covering the walkway. Everywhere you looked you saw the blossoms – they rained down on us when the wind blew.

Philosopher's Walk in Kyoto, Japan.

Imperial Palace, Tokyo

The Imperial Palace in Tokyo was special because it was the first place we saw cherry blossoms and we were so excited by it. The setting within the palace with the gardens, birds and ancient architecture in the middle of such a huge city was magnificent and surreal. We also saw many cherry blossoms in Ueno Park where hundreds of people were gathering for picnics, riding bikes and walking.

Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan.

Torii Gate, Miyajima Island

I had heard so much about the Torii Gate, the entrance to the Itsukushima Shrine, on Miyajima Island, but to see this structure built in the middle of the sea was amazing. Seeing it on your approach to the island it takes your breath away and it feels the same to me as seeing the Eiffel Tower or Statue of Liberty. The red colour of the gate is stunning as it reflects in the ocean at high tide. Not only are you surrounded by the beauty of the island with the forests and temples, the Torii Gate is the ideal backdrop for cherry blossoms to project their beauty.

The Seto Inland Sea and floating torii gate at Miyajima Island, Japan.

To-ji Temple, Kyoto

We visited the To-ji Temple in Kyoto during the day and at night. It is most magical at night when the trees are lit up with the temple in the midst of the blossoms. I stood there in the rain with blossoms showering down and felt renewed. The softness of the petals was like silk.

Night view of the To-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan.

MAREA RAYMENT’S TRAVEL HIGHS AND LOWS

Plane trouble

I got food poisoning from an upmarket seafood restaurant in Singapore and had to fly home the next morning. I looked so, so sick, I thought I would get arrested and had to take sleeping tablets to knock myself out on the plane so I didn’t have to use the toilets.

Snow delight

On a recent family trip to the UK, Estonia and Helsinki, we expected snow. For the first time in 20 years, it didn’t snow in Tallinn, Estonia, but we got a flurry on Christmas Eve that was enough to make me cry with happiness, as I was with my family for this bucket-list experience.

Originally published as I went in search of cherry blossom in Japan, these spots stunned me