I began my day taking the first JR Ferry to
Miyajima island from Hiroshima to see
how the cherry blossoms were progressing. Other than a few early blooming
types, Miyajima still has a ways to go before the majority of its blossoms
reach full bloom.
Miyajima's famous deer in front of an early blooming cherry tree.
One of the more developed cherry trees on Miyajima island
After spending a couple hours on the island
taking photos and being entertained by the deer, I hopped on a train headed
west towards Iwakuni. From JRfs Miyajima-guchi, Iwakuni is less than a half hour
away.
Iwakuni's Kintai-kyo Bridge upon arrival in the early afternoon
Nishiki River: April 3rd, 2011 - 10-50%
To my delight, the cherry blossoms at
Iwakuni were much further along than that of Miyajimafs. In fact, they were
nearly on pace with Fukuokafs cherry blossoms. The blossoms along the river provided
excellent scenery for the Kintai-kyo bridge. The
majority of the trees were approaching 50%, and a few of which had surpassed that point. By the beginning of next
weekend I would expect them all to reach full bloom with the sunny forecast ahead.
A tunnel of cherry trees near the river.
As you can see, there was plenty of space for hanami on a Sunday afternoon.
This tree was representative of how developed the cherry blossoms were along the Nishiki River.
Sakura and the bridge weren't the only things making the Nishiki River scenic.
Surprisingly, there was a considerable
amount of free space for hanami compared to other popular destinations in the
area like Fukuoka and Hiroshima. Nevertheless, as the day went on the weather
improved and the crowds started pouring in.
Kikko Park: April 3rd, 2011 - 50-80%
One place where the crowds really
congregated was Kikko Park, just a minutes
walk away from Kintai-kyo bridge. Some of the trees
were nearly in full bloom and provided the best spots for hanami. Complementing
the cherry trees were the many fountains spread throughout the park, as well as the
white swans that swam back and forth.
A pair of swams protected their pond as the crowds gathered to watch them
Cherry blossoms surrounding Kikko temple were developing nicely.
Iwakuni Castle - about to open.
My last visit for the day was Iwakuni Castle. As expected, many of the
trees had yet to reveal a single blossom. It should be a week or more before
these trees open up entirely.
Buds on a cherry tree near Iwakuni Castle.
Today was my first visit to Iwakuni, and I
was pleasantly surprised by the townfs cherry blossoms. Because the blossoms
are a bit behind around area and the weather was overcast today, I didnft
expect much. However, Iwakuni had more to offer than I anticipated. Now that the warm winds have come over
Japanfs islands, more peaceful places like Iwakuni are sure to be buzzing with
energy and hanami parties in the weeks to come.
