10D9N Spring Japan Trip: Kyoto Gyoen National Garden
I always admires sakura and the fact that it is only available in Japan makes me adore it even further. And the flower has become one of the main reasons which lead to this 10D9N spring Japan trip. Unfortunately, we came a week too early to Kyoto (read our lovely stay at Hotel Ibis Styles Kyoto Station here) and the sakura trees have not started to bloom yet. This fact, however, did not deter me from coming to Kyoto Gyoen National Garden to chase sakura flowers.
Kyoto Gyoen National Garden is also known as Kyoto Imperial Palace Park. However, the palace is not opened for public. Reservation is needed for entry to Imperial Palace buildings. Thankfully, the access to the garden is free of charge. Right in front of the entrance of Kyoto Gyoen National Garden lies a tall sakura trees. We could already see the glimpse of pink and we got pretty excited over it.
Even though the sakura flowers are not in full bloom yet, the sakura tree looks amazing even when I only captured its silhouette under the setting sun.
Toward the centre of Kyoto Gyoen National Garden, you can see a mixture of pink and white. I am not very sure if these trees are also sakura trees. I heard plum trees can look pretty similar to sakura. But anyway, we don't really care because they look so lovely.
Closer looks at the blooming flower. Aww...
The flowers come in two colors, pink and white. Too bad they are not in full bloom yet. I suppose if you want to do some sakura-watching in Japan, you should check the sakura blooming forecast before you decide the cities which you are going to visit. If you are interested in the forecast for the year 2016 (yes, they do exist), you can check it out here.
Kyoto Gyoen National Garden is also known as urban oasis for birds. While this sounds so good, the sounds of birds when the sun has set is pretty unnerving because the garden will get pretty dark after the sun sets (minimal lightings provided). We only managed to snap a picture of the lake right before the sky went completely dark and we had to make a dash to the entrance because our own imagination scared us. LOL.
How to go to Kyoto Gyoen National Garden:
You can take subway (the Karasuma Line) to Marutamachi Station. The garden is located right outside the exit of the station.