Cherry Blossom viewing at Yoshinoyama

Jason is a big fan of the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. He always researches places we plan to visit to see what he can check off. In Japan, the book lists
1. Old Kyoto -- DONE!
2. Walking the Nakasendo (the old trail from Tokyo to Kyoto) -- *planning to do a section this summer
3. Nara Koen -- DONE!
4. Sapporo Snow Festival -- DONE!
5. Climb Mt. Fuji -- DONE!
6. The Park Hyatt Tokyo -- at $550 a night, it's a little out of our league *However, if any of our readers want to make a contribution, we'd gladly accept :)
7. Tsukiji Fish Market -- DONE!
8. Cherry Blossom Viewing, Yoshinoyama -- DONE!!

We made the effort to get out to Yoshinoyama because we wanted to check it off our list. The book describes it as a mountain that is covered in tens of thousands of cherry trees. Internet research also suggested this was the premier spot in Japan for cherry blossom viewing. Jason and I were expecting a cherry blossom wonderland. It was nice, but I think the book over-hyped it. I think the tens of thousands are spread out over a large, large area, and they bloom at different times. So even though it was a nice day and we had a great picnic under a small grove, it wasn't the end-all-be-all cherry blossom viewing experience the book had made it out to be. The crowds of people and the dozens of souvenir shops also kind of detracted from the atmosphere. In fact, I think that the space in front of Himeji Castle is even better -- at least, it will be again when the castle reopens in five years.
There are more pictures on the picasa site.