Mount Yoshino (吉野山), located in the mountains around Nara, is renowned for its 30,000 cherry blossoms and has been a popular destination for over a thousand years. We visited in late May, finding it quiet except for the Yamabushi monks practicing Shugendo, a tradition focused on physical and spiritual training.
To reach Yoshino, visitors take a ropeway from Yoshino train station. During cherry blossom season, the wait can be hours.
The town is dominated by Kinpusenji (金峯山寺), a significant Shugendo temple and second largest wooded structure in Japan. It’s known for its impressive 3 blue Zao Gongen statues, though these are only viewable a few times a year.
Even without its most famous attractions, our stay was still enjoyable. We stayed at the Yukawaya, which has been hosting guests for centuries.
From Yoshino, we headed to Osaka to catch our nephew in a musical. After a run in Tokyo, the musical was doing a week run in Osaka.
Pursuing Wabi 