For my birthday I decided to spend the day in Nara; I couldn't have asked for better weather, but I was a touch early for enjoying the cherry blossom season. Most of the cherry trees were still growing their buds, but a few had opened up early, to the thrill of all the photographers. I kid you not, there were impromptu lines forming at the handful of blooming trees, so that everyone could get a chance at an uninterrupted photograph or two.
And if the cherry trees weren't quite ready, the magnolias (I think?) more than made up for it by being in full, fragrant bloom! The blossoms of these trees are really big, easily the size of a human hand. I was surprised that there were several areas in Nara dedicated just to magnolias.
As a final birthday bonus, I somehow managed to get to Nara the day they were having their "Strawberry Festival." Nara Park was covered in booths selling all sorts of locally-grown strawberry-based foods and desserts; there were even several vendors selling strawberry-themed jewelry and accessories! There were all kinds of concerts happening at the fair, and you could hear the music even from the top of Wakakusa Mountain (which I visited in January for the mountain-burning festival, but this time it was open so I got to climb it)!
So, in more or less chronological order, I'll just go through some of the highlights of the day!
For the first stop, I made a point of visiting Yoshien and Ishien gardens. When I went in autumn my camera died before I could find them, and when I tried again in January they were closed until March. So, I resolved to finally see them! They were very empty on the inside, and not too much was blooming yet since it was still early in the spring, but I still enjoyed myself. These odd little bell flowers (seen above) were blooming everywhere and their perfume was almost overpowering.
Above is a photo of one of the moss areas in the gardens. That isn't grass on the ground, it's all moss! It must be spectacular in autumn, because there were bare maple trees growing all around it.
Not sure what these little white flowers are, but they were also blooming everywhere in the gardens in Nara.
After the gardens, I was walking towards Todaiji Temple via a back road, when I spotted this massive cherry tree in a distant field. I may have hopped a small fence to reach it, but it was a very impressive tree! I wish I could have seen it in full bloom!
Just one tree was blooming in front of Todaiji Temple, but there was a long line behind it of people waiting to get a photograph of it. Within a week after visiting Todaiji, I read in the news that it was one of many temples in Japan recently hit with vandalism. Hopefully it will be able to be fully restored, because it's an incredible temple.
A view of Wakakusa Mountain from Nara Park, with some not-quite-blooming cherries in the distance. The grass on the mountain still looks burned from the festival two months ago.
These little birds were everywhere among the cherry buds chasing bugs, but they weren't too keen on my attempts to photograph them. This was the best I could manage! I wonder what kind of birds they are?
One of the few blooming cherry trees I spotted, and its branches looked fantastic silhouetted against the clear blue sky that day. It was literally one of maybe three sunny days this entire cherry blossom season!
I refrained from photographing deer as often as I had the last couple times in Nara, but I still took a few photos of them. This doe is surrounded by cherry buds, but she would have looked amazing around fully-blooming trees!
The climb to the top of Wakakusa Mountain actually has three phases to it. This was at the top of the second part, and you can see the city of Nara stretched out below.
These massive trees were standing on the top of the third and tallest part of Wakakusa Mountain. Even with bare branches they commanded a lot of attention.
A view of the lower trails of Wakakusa Mountain and Nara City.
I found a free garden near Nara Park as I climbed down from Wakakusa Mountain. It was carefully double-fenced with push-to-open doors to prevent the deer from getting inside. Inside were some late-blooming plums (who resisted my efforts at photographing them,) and a single early cherry tree.
Here is the aforementioned cherry tree in the free-garden. I took this photo from the back of the line, because I actually found the line more fascinating than the tree. Seriously, it's only been in Japan that I've seen such spontaneous line-forming by visitors. With patience, everyone is able to get their turn!
Cherry tree buds can be surprisingly photogenic, I learned that day in Nara (I had to photograph something, right?).
This is probably the prettiest looking museum I've seen. No clue what's inside, as it always seems to be closed when I come by.
There were a lot of couples getting their wedding photos taken throughout Nara. I wasn't the only one candidly taking photos of this pair as the professionals did their work. The deer kept trying to eat the bride's bouquet!
I'm sure the pavilion must be stunning when it's surrounded in blooming cherries!
Finally, I found some pretty flowers blooming just as I was getting ready to leave Nara for the day. This particular tree was massive and its branches trailed all the way down to the lake below.
I'll end with one of my favorite photos, with open magnolias in the front and some blooming cherries in the back. It was neat getting both kinds of flowers in the same photo!
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