Two weeks ago, me and my friend Super Morgy were the first batch of Filipinos who flocked to Japan to catch the Hanami Festival or the traditional viewing of Cherry Blossoms.
Our entry point is Centrair International Airport in Nagoya.
We spent our first day in Japan touring the Nagoya Castle.
This beautiful castle was constructed in 1612 and was destroyed during World War II in 1945. Fortunately, its three corner towers, three gates, including the precious paintings survived the fire. The government of Japan restored the castle and now it’s one of the country’s top tourist sites. Inside the castle, by the way, is a museum that exhibits Japan’s cultural assets. On top of the castle is observation deck.
Outside the castle are various food and souvenir stalls and street performers like this one:
The site also boasts of awesome view of trees, mountains, lakes…
..and Cherry trees that blossom this time of the year.
During Springtime (end of March to early May), cherry and plum trees all over Japan bloom!
The next day, we toured the postcard-pretty Nara Park.
To navigate the whole park, we rented a bicycle. And the view is really mesmerizing!
There are deers everywhere this park and they are very friendly!
There are vending machines in almost every corner of the park selling water, coffee, juices and of course, deer food! You can attract the deers by feeding them.
To be continued…