Daigoji is a temple made famous for its cherry blossoms when in 1589,
Toyotomi Hideyoshi held a cherry blossom viewing party, about 700 years
after its construction.
Last Sunday, we were invited
to go to Daigo Temple to view the cherry blossoms with my friend and
student, Hirose. We were very excited to go, as work has kept us so busy
that we haven’t really been able to enjoy any of the cherry blossoms in
Kyoto. The forecast said that the trees were going to be in full bloom
that day, and when we got there, the weather was perfect. A slightly
chilly wind was blowing in and, yes, the trees were busting at the seams
with their thousands of soft pink petals. The air has started to smell
so sweet recently, and it was really peaceful, watching the petals
flutter through the air on faint wind trails. They brushed your cheek
and stuck to your clothes, and the ground was littered in this soft
blanket of pink. I can see why they’re one of the main attractions for
people in Kansai.
The grounds of the temple were quite
gorgeous and expansive. There were several gardens and three main areas
to the temple, including a very, very old weeping cherry tree, whose
branches all needed braces for support. There was just a lot of calming,
serene places in the temple grounds, and I had a lot of fun, despite
getting a bit sunburned and overwhelmed by the sheer mass of people who
had turned up fro the event.
