BLOSSOMING CHERRIES AND BEYOND!

                                                 [APRIL 2026, DAY TWO AND THREE]

DAY 2

We were enthusistic and curious to know which would be our next stops in JAPAN, THE LAND OF RISING SUN! Our second day started with a visit to Asakosa Shinsoji Temple, a Shinto ancient Buddhist temple and a shrine, next to it. This is one of the important temples in Tokyo, dedicated to the Bodhisattva of Compassion. It has a main hall, a five-story pagoda and massive gates. It is the most visited religious site in the world. Interestingly, there was a separate counter, where we had to juggle a cylindrical box and remove one plate, which had a number on it. Corresponding to that number, one had to take a plate from drawers in the wall and it gives an account of how your day would pass! One shrine close to the temple was visited. Temples are normally Budhha temples while shrines worship instruments, armaments, weapons, Samurai, agricultural instruments, trees and so on. Lion statues with a different style of faces were seen in almost all temples and shrines. People offer a variety of things to their deities. We experienced a moderate crowd at the Shinsoji Temple.

Here we shopped for magnets and mementoes on the Nakamise Dori Street.

Next stop was at the Ueno Park, a spacious public park in the centre of Tokyo city, which is famous for its cherry blossoms in spring and the Hanami festival. This is a place of historical interest, scenic beauty, recreation and rest in the prefectures of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. There are approximately 8800 trees and shrubs, including Somi-Yoshino cherry, Japanese cherry, Formosan cherry, Ginkgo biloba, Cinnamomum camphora, Zelkova serrata. Lot of birds, insects and animals of various types are found here. It took more than half a day to cover the whole place. A lot of cherry trees were blossoming with white, light pink and dark pink blooms. We had a gala time, shooting pictures. 

DAY 3

Third day took us near Mount Fuji. Yasahama Hakone is a major Japanese mountain resort town near Mount Fuji, famous for its onsen (hot sulphur springs) and stunning views of Lake Ashinoko. Traveling to this place is very much enjoyable as it can be reached through a scenic loop of train, cable car, ropeway and boat, while enjoying the surrounding natural beauty. 

The road which takes one to the top of Mount Fuji can be closed due to clouds, snow, landslides. At 3776 meters, it is the highest peak in Japan, an active volcano on the island of Honshu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its iconic, symmetrical cone shape. It is a major tourist destination located between Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures. It is popular and spectacular for hiking and cherry blossoms in the summer.

Ashinoko, in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, is a scenic crater lake famous for its views of Mount Fuji, hot springs and historical sites. In ancient times, Ashinoko was a sacred lake where trainee Buddhist monks purified their souls and bodies before religious ceremonies. The water comes from rains. Ovakudani, or "Big Boiling Gorge," is an active volcano in Hakone, Japan, famous for its steamy sulfur pores, bubbling hot springs and distinctive hydrogen sulfide "rotten egg" smell. The area, formed by the eruption of Mount Hakone 3000 years ago, is a major geological attraction, known as the 'breath of the earth'. Due to the intense volcanic activity, a high concentrations of sulfur gases are found here. The famous Black eggs are chicken eggs boiled in a natural sulfur-rich hot spring which appear black after boiling but according to folklore, after eating one, the life expectancy increases to seven years. For tourists there is a long scenic ropeway, from which there is a view of volcanic activity and sulphurous fumes directly below. We were instructed to wear masks. It was quite cold here, which grew warmer near the crater lake. 

GREEN BLOGGER

PROF. (DR.) MRS. JAYA KURHEKAR

 

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KEYWORDS: 

FASCINATING ENVIRONMENT, Shinsoji Temple, Shrine, Mount Fuji. Yasahama Hakone, Ashinoko, Ovakudani, 'breath of the earth', sulfur valley, Black eggs, ropeway, Oshino Hakkai

GREEN BLOGGER

PROF. (DR.) MRS. JAYA KURHEKAR

 

KEYWORDS: JAPAN, TOUR, JOURNEY, AIRPORT