Yesterday was a rest day (only walked 10kms 😆). I really needed it even though I had sort of planned to go to Nara for a day trip to see the roaming deer amongst the cherry blossoms…

… but since I was pretty sure the blossoms would be few and far between, I decided not to. That will have to be for next time.

Had a bit of a late sleep and ventured out to Maruyama Park, a stunning oasis of beauty and charm, which draws a lot of people during cherry blossom season, although only later in the day. At 7 am there were only a few locals practicing their Tai chi and an occasional photographer. The park has hundreds of cherry blossom trees but I specifically went to see one amazing huge weeping cherry tree…the centerpiece of the park… hoping that it may be one of the late bloomers. But not to be… not a blossom in sight.

Now I know people are thinking that I have posted photos of such beautiful blossoms… how can I say that there are gone. Am I never satisfied? Perhaps the answer to that is probably no I’m not. But just to give you an idea of what the tree looks like now compared to what it looked like a few weeks ago might give you an idea.

And the blossoming trees are few and far between- for every one in flower now there were probably 20 or 50 before.

Another couple of examples of one of the streets near where I was staying- literally called cherry blossom street and the Philosophers Path…

But that’s life and the tree was beautiful anyway.

I went back to my hotel to pack up and check out and spent some time in the lounge doing my blog. Then at lunch time I headed for the amazing Nishiki Market- a very busy, narrow, five block long marketplace/shopping street lined by more than 100 shops and restaurants.

Rich with history and tradition, the market is renowned as the place to obtain many of Kyoto’s famous foods and goods- from giant soy marinated scallops to black sesame and 3 colour dango, grilled eel, huge and delicious tempura crab legs. The list goes on. If I had somewhere like this near home I would eat here everyday I think!

Back on the bullet train to Tokyo and was super happy and surprised to get this view out of my window- the country’s most iconic landmark and Japan’s highest mountain/volcano… the lady herself Mt Fuji. It was certainly a highlight as very often she cannot be seen due to clouds and poor visibility.

My new hotel is certainly interesting… a women only capsule hotel. I wanted to have a shower and couldn’t find one and didn’t have a towel… so went to reception to find out that there are no private showers. Instead there is an ‘onsen’ or public hot spring. It’s very Japanese thing and there is some basic onsen etiquette to follow: You should thoroughly wash before getting in the water. The bath is shared by others, so it is essential you are completely clean. There are open showers and low stools nearby to sit on and wash. You will be completely naked no matter how many others are sharing the space. I did not expect that- but totally enjoyed soaking in the very hot bath.