Last day in Kyoto. Only one big event we have planned - to go to a special processional ceremony at Daigoji Temple that is in the southeast part of Kyoto. The temple was founded in the 9th century. In the spring of 1598, Toyotomi Hideyoshi had 700 cherry trees planted in the garden there and thereafter held an event each year to enjoy viewing the blossoms. “Ho-Taiko Hanami Gyoretsu" (Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s cherry blossom-viewing parade) is held on the second Sunday of every April. They hold a big procession to celebrate.
So, out we went, along with thousands of local folks, as well as the occasional Westerner who had read about it. It was a beautiful day - not a cloud in the sky and warmer than any of our other two sightseeing days in Kyoto. It was really crowded at Daigoji - the Japanese take their cherry blossoms very seriously. But we got into the rhythm of the crowd and it wasn't too bad. There is a magnificent 5 story pagoda and a beautiful Japanese garden, but the main attraction is definitely the cherry trees. And they were almost full - in fact, they probably were full. Finally, on my last day in the country, one of the major premises for the trip - to see the cherry blossoms - had been fulfilled. Check it off the list. I don't mean to be too cynical. It really is beautiful.
But, faithful readers, I can't show you what it looked like. Andrea has the camera and we didn't transfer Sunday's pictures to my laptop. So this will just have to wait until Andrea posts the photos to Phanfare and I can get access to them to incorporate them into the blog.
And then it was a late lunch and off to the train station to catch the Shinkansen to Tokyo. I got to see the outside of the ryokan where Andrea will be staying the next couple of weeks. It is in a really pretty area of the city and she'll like the location.
I will close out with a few random observations in my next post.
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