Japan: Kansai 2 (Kyoto, Osaka)

Today was going to be a relaxing day in Osaka with a leisurely visit to Osaka Castle. However, we are eager to take advantage of possibly the only day without predicted rain during our trip, so we change the plan and head back to Kyoto. To beat the crowds, which will be massive on this Saturday of peaking cherry blossoms, we grab a taxi from Kyoto Station to Ryoan-Ji where solitude is key to the experience. Imagine rushing to seek tranquility! To our pleasant surprise, the place is not inundated yet. In the same northwest part of the city is the enormously popular Kinkaku-Ji (Golden Pavilion), and the scene there is completely different with crowd control fully in place.

Kyoto: Ryoan-Ji, the rock star of the zen rock gardens. Fifteen stones when I visited last time. The same 15 stones now, as there have been more than 500 years. There isn't a single spot where you can capture all the stones. (Except a drone shot?)

Ryoan-Ji, Kyoto: the excellent gardens are a bonus.

Kinkaku-Ji, Kyoto: we are jolted back to the reality of mass tourism here and join everyone taking this obligatory shot. Why would they not go somewhere else - there aren't even cherry trees here.

Kinkaku-Ji, Kyoto: like a typical tourist site, the exit is lined with shops. Partaking of free samples at all the sweets stands here would put me in a diabetic coma. But we do pick up nama yatsuhashi, a Kyoto treat.

Today we are investing in a lot of taxi rides to maximize efficiency. Taxis are plentiful and drivers are a model of courteousness. After we leave Kinkaku-Ji, our talkative taxi driver, unusual for here, is eager to point out places with excellent cherry blossom viewing. Not far from Kinkaku-Ji is Hirano Shrine with loads of tour buses already. Nicknamed Sakura Shrine and packed with colorful trees, it looks so inviting, but we had already committed to going to Imperial Palace. Anything "Imperial" here may require advance reservations, but fortunately the grounds of the palace are open to the public. We are treated to a lovely grove of cherry trees, which is enough to erase whatever uneasiness stirred in me standing on an imperial property, probably unfairly, about Japan's colonial past. 

Imperial Palace Park, Kyoto

Imperial Palace Park, Kyoto: a colorful collection of "weeping" cherry trees

Imperial Palace Park, Kyoto

Imperial Palace Park, Kyoto

Imperial Palace Park, Kyoto

Imperial Palace Park, Kyoto: any patch of the blue sky is a welcome sight.

Imperial Palace Park, Kyoto: unlike some other sites, Japanese tourists seem to dominate here, perhaps because it's a weekend.

Imperial Palace Park, Kyoto

Next is a walk through Nishiki Market where we are happy to sample a number of items for lunch before heading to the large complex of Heian Jingu. At this shrine with the same name as the first period Kyoto served as the capital, the draw is the grounds. However, crowds and noise make it difficult to appreciate the landscape fully. 

Kyoto: Nishiki Market, a narrow alley several blocks long, is a natural draw for tourists but retains authenticity.

Nishiki Market, Kyoto: which variety of mochi and dango to taste? How about one of each!

Kyoto: approaching Heian Shrine. The canal is lined with cherry trees.

Approaching Heian Shrine, Kyoto

Approaching Heian Shrine: this is obviously another way to enjoy the cherry blossoms.

Heian Shrine, Kyoto: a massive torii gate marks a symbolic entrance.

Heian Shrine, Kyoto: a performance of energetic young dancers in front of the entrance. They can't possibly be celebrating the first day of school, can they?

Heian Shrine, Kyoto: from a distance, these look like a rare kind of cherry blossoms, or maybe it's just my aging eyes. Of course they are folded paper prayers.

Heian Shrine, Kyoto: groundskeepers at work

Heian Shrine, Kyoto: cherry blossom petals floating on the pond

Heian Shrine, Kyoto: a popular spot for weddings

At the subway station, the crowds, including many tidily dressed students, are almost unmanageable even with Japanese orderliness. Should I suggest moving the annual entrance celebration weekend so it doesn't coincide with the cherry blossom peaking week?

 Back in Osaka, the dinner is at a highly rated fusion restaurant, where a fourth generation chef trained in Spain is in action. When we are done, in a truly family-run fashion, the chef 's mother runs out to the street to flag down a taxi to take us back to the hotel. Alas, the meal lasts too long to leave us any time to go see the illuminated Osaka Castle.

Fujiya 1935, Osaka: a dish with a touch of cherry blossoms

Fujiya 1935, Osaka: a dish served with decorative ume branches