Travel Notes Completed After Three Years of Delay: Revisiting Tokyo and Kyoto in the 2019 Cherry Blossom Season

Lilian, a post-00s student, finished her language school term in March and was moving from Tokyo to a university in Kyoto, which coincided with the cherry blossom season. I happened to have a round-trip ticket to Tokyo that I hadn't used yet, so I invited my classmate Amanda, a gourmet chef, for a cherry blossom trip.

(I started writing this travel note but put it aside. Today, I finally decided to finish it. The three-year pandemic in between makes me emotional. Because of the pandemic, my daughter Lilian hasn't been able to return to China for nearly three years. I hope all the bad things will pass soon...)

Day 1: Guangzhou - Tokyo, Shinjuku Gyoen, stay at a homestay in Chiyoda Ward

Here are two cherry blossom photos—they look quite like clouds, don't they?

I checked and found that Japan's cherry blossom season varies slightly each year depending on the weather. Also, regions as far apart as Hokkaido and Kyoto have different blooming periods. Both official and unofficial forecasts are roughly the same. We went on March 21 and were able to see cherry blossoms. Although the actual blooming was a bit later than officially announced, we saw them in Tokyo, then went to Kyoto, and returned to Tokyo. We even saw the night cherry blossoms, so we truly feasted our eyes.

The first two photos were taken at Shinjuku Gyoen on the first day. Although it was the blooming period, the cherry blossoms in Shinjuku were just starting to open. Many trees hadn't budded yet; it must be spectacular when they all bloom. Under the trees, many tourists had already gathered to take photos. It was easy to tell tourists from locals: Japanese people spread mats on the ground, set out food and drinks, and enjoyed cherry blossom viewing, chatting, and drinking with family, friends, or colleagues.

We stayed at a homestay booked on Ctrip in Tokyo, costing 1,342 yuan for two nights. There was no elevator, and the room was so small that we couldn't even open our suitcases properly. The so-called room was just two tatami mats, filling the entire space.

(The following is a supplement written in 2022; I've forgotten a lot and am recalling from photos.)

For this trip, except for the last night at a hotel, we stayed in homestays. They were relatively cheaper than hotels, but the comfort level was indeed lower.

Day 2: Ueno Park, Ginza

On the second day, we continued our cherry blossom trip. I can't remember why we chose Ueno Park. It's large, with a square and a pond, somewhat symmetrical like European gardens. Two impressions stand out: a performer (a young guy) in the square was extremely hardworking, putting on a wonderful and lengthy show. His performance spirit was truly touching. You could see he was very tired, but his enthusiasm never waned from start to finish. That's the guy named Shigure, holding a fan in Amanda's hand in the picture below.

In Japan, clean restrooms are well known. During my two trips to Japan, the only slightly unpleasant restroom experience was at Ueno Park. The facilities were good, but it felt a bit like a restroom in a Chinese scenic spot.

The last time I came to Tokyo, I didn't go to Ginza. This time I did my homework. The commercial buildings in Ginza don't look very new; there are no massive structures. They give a more refined and modest feel. This photo was taken on the second floor of a dessert shop. I can't remember which one, only that the sweets were very sweet—cloyingly sweet (a Northeastern Chinese expression).

A bakery specializing in donuts. Very niche—if I were a donut enthusiast, I would have been thrilled.

Actually, we were looking for a store themed around rice, which I read about in a book before coming. I was really curious.

Various kinds of rice and rice products. Unfortunately, Tokyo was our first stop, so we couldn't buy much, especially such heavy items.

When traveling, you can't skimp on food. In the evening, we found a BBQ restaurant near our accommodation. Actually, we wandered into several places. Many izakayas seemed full of people who had come after work to drink; many standing, just to relax their nerves. Even standing, they didn't mind. Finally, we saw this place had a few seats and squeezed in. Ordering was hilarious: the Japanese owner's English and my level of English (around CET-4 from the 1990s) made for a stuttering conversation. To explain the cuts of meat, the owner even drew a diagram of a cow.

Day 3: Tokyo Kitchen Street

Amanda is a full-time mom who is an excellent cook and very particular about kitchenware. She is now a senior agent for Thermomix. For this trip, I found a perfect spot for her: there is a dedicated kitchen supplies district in Tokyo with many shops. You can find any cooking or dining utensil you can imagine. We spent about four hours there. Now I find I only have one photo: a stall selling various soy sauce dishes.

Day 4: Kyoto, Uji

This was my second time in Kyoto. We visited Kiyomizu-dera and checked in at the famous matcha shop in Uji and Byōdō-in. I paid more attention to the residential houses—the proportions of the buildings and the meticulous details at the entrances gave me a special sense of warmth.

A corner of Byōdō-in, clean and tidy. If the cherry blossoms hadn't fallen, it would have been even more beautiful.

The last stop of the return trip was Tokyo. My daughter stayed in Kyoto for school. Actually, this trip was a brief time together. Seeing that she had classmates she knew, I felt reassured.

I heard that Nakameguro in Tokyo is the best place to view night cherry blossoms, so we booked a hotel in Nakameguro. The cherry blossoms on both sides of the river were in full bloom. It happened to be the opening of Starbucks Reserve Roastery, designed by Kengo Kuma. It's the fifth such store in the world. Fans queued for a long time—were they fans of Starbucks or Kengo Kuma?

The beauty of night cherry blossoms can't be captured well by a mobile phone. We walked along the riverbank from dusk till night.

Finally, I hope the pandemic will pass soon. I know there is so much beauty in the world waiting for me to experience.