Yoshino, Nara
Mt. Yoshino Unwrapping persimmon-leaf sushi with the blossoms before me
Cherry blossoms blanketed the mountainside as I unwrapped some persimmon-leaf sushi. I wanted to savor both the food and the view, and lost track of time.
I spent a spring morning unwrapping persimmon-leaf sushi at Mt. Yoshino. I got so absorbed in what I was doing that when I finally looked up, I was captivated by the cherry blossoms all over again.
SpringA morning in mid-April
I looked up from unwrapping my sushi and was captivated by the blossoms all over again
One morning in mid-April, I sat down to take in the cherry blossoms of Mt. Yoshino. Flowers blanketed the mountainside, and I was taking in the view farther up the slope when the persimmon-leaf sushi on my lap caught my eye. I wanted to enjoy the scenery and the sushi together. First, I gently opened the leaf.
I held the edge and gradually eased apart the folds of the leaf. As the sushi began to appear, I suddenly wanted to handle the leaf with care. Before I knew it, I was concentrating hard. It was only something I was about to eat, but I still wanted to unwrap it neatly. When the leaf opened and the sushi appeared, I felt a little proud of myself.
I took a bite, then looked up at the same view of cherry blossoms blanketing the mountainside. Maybe because I'd been staring at my hands, the layers of flowers took me by surprise all over again. I laughed when I realized I'd been more focused on the sushi than the blossoms. But it was delicious, so I rather liked doing things in that order.
This time, I took my time with the view. Trees stood among the blossoms, a town followed the ridgeline, and mountains rose one behind another in the distance. I got a fuller sense of the landscape around the cherry blossoms than when I'd focused on the flowers alone. Just shifting my view a little revealed so much more.
As I started unwrapping the next one, I wondered how I'd tell my driving friend about this. Should I start with the blossoms covering the mountain, the persimmon-leaf sushi, or how seriously I'd taken unwrapping a single leaf? I was sure she'd laugh most at that last part. The thought made me laugh too, and my hands stopped.
I folded the empty leaf and let my hands rest, then looked back at the cherry blossoms. I didn't want my little moment with the sushi to end, but there was still that view waiting when I looked up. I couldn't bring myself to get up in a hurry, so I sat there a little longer. I wanted to remember that spring morning on Mt. Yoshino, right down to the moment I looked up from my sushi and found the blossoms again.
The story sections are fiction inspired by this location. For accurate information, please consult official tourism and information websites.
Local specialty
Persimmon-leaf sushi
One of Yoshino's local specialties is sushi made with salt-cured mackerel wrapped in persimmon leaves. I was already enjoying myself as I gently unwrapped the leaf, and I must have looked pretty serious before taking a bite. Take your time with the sushi, then look back at the cherry blossoms.
Highlights
Cherry blossoms from Shimo Senbon to Oku Senbon
About 30,000 cherry trees in roughly 200 varieties grow on Mt. Yoshino, mainly shiroyamazakura. They bloom in stages, from Shimo Senbon through Naka Senbon and Kami Senbon to Oku Senbon. The blossoms layered across the mountainside made me want to take my time tracing the view beyond the nearby cherry trees.
Town and mountain ridges amid the blossoms
Here, you can enjoy views of the blossom-covered mountainside and the town spread along the ridge. When I looked up from the sushi in my hands, I saw trees among the blossoms and mountain after mountain in the distance. I was captivated all over again.
Getting there
A walk on Mt. Yoshino from the Shimo Senbon side
- Route
- Kintetsu Yoshino Station to the mountaintop ropeway station
- Where to start walking
- Shimo Senbon side of Mt. Yoshino
For access to Mt. Yoshino, take the ropeway from Kintetsu Yoshino Station to the mountaintop station. You can begin your walk around the mountain from the Shimo Senbon side. Whenever I remember how the blossoms layered across the slopes, I want to unfold a map and see where I might walk next.
The map below will take you to Mt. Yoshino. To decide where you'd like to see the cherry blossoms as you explore from the Shimo Senbon entrance, take a look at the Nara Travel Net guide too.
More Spot Guides
If you enjoyed this story, you might like these places too. I've gone back to each of them in different seasons, again and again.
