We landed right at the peak of the cherry bloom, so the first morning we woke up early to enjoy the spectacle of the Path of Philosophy
The influential philosopher Kitarō Nishida is said to have used this path for meditation
Path of Philosophy
To a Californian, what's really striking about the cherry trees in Japan is their age and size. Some are three stories tall, supported by trunks of tremendous girth.
Sanjūsangen-dō
Rokkaku-dō
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Fushimi Inari Taisha - Kenka-sai festival
The Kenka-sai festival takes place on April 1 and involves the offering of flowers to the kami, who are deities, and happens to be the rice god at Fushimi Inari Taisha
For us, the festival was an opportunity to see glorious kimonos & obis
The ceremony was presided by Shinto priests
The ceremony was elaborate and well choreographed
These poor guys were really nervous and not really all that good at flower arranging. After a ballet with branches and scissors, their role was polished off with the pouring of water into the bamboo vases.
