Andre Vltchek, Contributor, Kyoto
In Asia, Japan is admired for its durable cars, fast trains, electronic gadgets, fashion, and the modern and clean face of its cities. But despite its wealth and modernity, Japan remains one of the most traditional societies in this region.
Clean-cut steel and glass skyscrapers of Japan's major cities coexist with ancient -- or at least ancient-looking -- eateries and bars, as well as No and Kabuki traditional theaters, while the neck-breaking speed of urban life has had almost no effect on the polite structure of the language.
Tradition is treasured, and this survives in the form of the arts, cuisine or in the design of urban and rural gardens and parks.
For centuries, love of nature has been an inseparable part of the culture. Japanese people are obsessed with nature, and are ready to admire high mountains and majestic bays, but also simple flowers and leaves.
Every year, thousands of amateur photographers embark on a search for that perfect moment when the first humble and simple flowers penetrate melting snow, announcing the arrival of spring.
Japanese culture is based on the strive for perfection, and perfection can often be synonymous with simplicity.
So perfect can be an elegant slice of fresh raw fish, a narrow trail leading through the forest, a haiku poem, a single and precise movement of the sword or a Zen stone garden. But for many Japanese, the symbol of perfection created by nature is the sakura, or cherry blossom.
The cherry blossom is Japan's unofficial national flower. (Japan has no official national flower.) It has been celebrated and admired for many centuries, described in countless novels and poems, filmed and photographed, and immortalized in traditional and popular songs.
There are dozens of different cherry tree variations, most of which bloom for just a few days in the spring. Millions of Japanese celebrate that part of the year with hanami -- cherry-blossom viewing -- a few days dedicated to reflecting on and admiring beauty.
From a distance, the trees appear as beautiful clouds of pale colors. Coming closer, one encounters a hardly detectable softness of fragrance as well as a gentleness of single blossoms.
For many, the perfect cherry blossom is the one which encircles the elegant historical structures of Japanese cities and the countryside: castles, temples and shrines.
For me, the most perfect place for hanami has always been Tetsugaku no Michi, or The Walk of Philosophy, located in eastern Kyoto right next to the magnificent 15th-Century Ginkakuji -- a gold-plated temple designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO -- with its sand garden and brilliantly designed parks, lakes, stone bridges and hillsides.
The Walk of Philosophy is a long stretch of stone paths of more than one kilometer along both banks of a narrow canal, which connects Ginkakuji with the complex that houses Nanzenji -- one of the most important Zen temples in Japan. The wide branches of cherry trees bend over the surface of water, and during blossoming season, white and pink petals float on the shallow, slow-moving water of the canal.
The entire area feels like elaborate painting taken straight from the atelier of some early Impressionist master.
Young women dressed in kimonos stroll slowly, balancing on their zouri sandals. Painters set up their easels on the stone bridges, trying to capture the moment.
A beautiful fragrance is omnipresent, but is too gentle to be overpowering. Local cafes and art galleries are full of visitors, but there is hardly any noise; people keep their voices low, perhaps out of respect for the beauty they just witnessed outside.
This is where some of the greatest minds of Japan used to come to think and to regain their sense of calm. One can almost hear the voices of young philosophers discussing Shinto-Confucianism and Western philosophy, which was making inroads to Japan some 150 years ago: Auguste Comte, Charles Darwin, Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau; then Immanuel Kant, Georg Hegel, Friedrich Nietzsche and Leo Tolstoy.
Kyoto was the city where Nishida Kitaro -- perhaps the most important Japanese thinker since the Meiji Restoration -- founded his school of philosophy. It is said that what is now called The Walk of Philosophy used to be his favorite path, and where he used to come to take his walks, to be alone with his thoughts.
To visit The Walk of Philosophy during cherry blossom season is one of the greatest opportunities to experience a Japan unchanged by time, in all its depth, elegance, simplicity and beauty.
Practical information
Sakura season
Cherry trees blossom for several days only, usually in April. Refer to the Japanese media (including Japan Times in English) for exact dates in different parts of the country. In Kyoto, cherry trees usually blossom from beginning to mid-April.
How to get to Kyoto
From Tokyo: * The easiest way is to take the Tokyo-Kyoto JR Tokaido Shinkansen (bullet train) * The Nozomi super-express covers more than 500 km in just over 2 hours, the Hikari and Kodama are 10 to 20 minutes slower. Tickets cost around US$100 one-way. * For those who live outside of Japan, the JR Rail Pass is available at $250 for 7 days of unlimited travel, covering the entire JR network.
From Nagoya: 40 minutes by shinkansen (150 km)
From Osaka: 25 minutes by shinkansen; or 1 hour by ordinary train
By air: The closest international airport is the Kansai, near Osaka. There are direct trains from Kansai to Kyoto.
How to get to The Walk of Philosophy * Located some 15 km from downtown Kyoto. Take public bus nos. 5, 17 or 100 from Kyoto Station to Ginkakuji, or bus no. 5 to Nanzenji. Ride takes approximately 40 minutes at $1.80 one-way * Alternatively, buy a one-day ticket for unlimited use of Kyoto's public buses for 500 ($4.50)
Opening hours and entrance fees * The Walk of Philosophy: Open 24 hours, free entrance * Ginkakuji (Silver temple): 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. (9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. from Dec-March), 500 * Nanzenji: 8:40 a.m. - 5 p.m. (to 4:30 p.m. from Dec-Feb), 500
Accommodation * Kyoto is a major Japanese city, and as elsewhere in Japan, local inns -- called ryokan -- start from $30 for a single room. Business hotels with air-conditioning, private bathroom and cable TV start at $40. * There is a variety of luxury hotels in Kyoto. The most convenient is the new, posh JR-Gran Via Hotel, right at magnificent Kyoto Station. During cherry blossom season, prices go up and Gran Via can charge up to $220 per night.
Recommended duration of travel
Due to the flawless Japanese transportation system, The Walk of Philosophy, Ginkakuji and Nanzenji can be visited easily from Tokyo in a single day. However, Kyoto is one of the world's major cultural centers -- to see at least the basic cultural sites, a minimum of 3 full days would be needed.
-- Andre Vltchek
