Traveling in the Cherry Blossom season
Hey-ya! Do you smell the scent of spring? It’s cherry blossom season again!
Do you fancy for a trip to Kyoto, Japan’s most popular place for first-time visitors? Our staff, Nicole, recently took a backpacking trip to Kyoto. She utilized Kdan’s Creativity 365 app series to enhance her travel planning. Let’s spare a few minutes and see how she made her trip more efficient, eco-friendly and memorable.
Saving Space
Flight tickets, hotel reservations, maps and guidebooks used to occupy half of my backpack when traveling to Japan. With the rapid advance of technology and smartphones, productivity apps have become the ultimate companion for backpackers. Since I began working at Kdan Mobile I’ve become more familiar with using productivity apps to make my life easier, which ultimately makes my trip to Kyoto more enjoyable. Going digital also allows me to reduce the need of traditional medium such as pen and paper.
For my trip to Kyoto I saved my flight information and hotel reservations in PDF Markup , reducing the weight of my carry-on bag.
Planning
Kyoto, the famed ancient capital of Japan provides a perfectly dreamy backdrop for cherry blossom appreciation. Prior to my trip I reviewed numerous travel guides and travelers’ blog post. Based on my research I found, the best flower spots include Maruyama Park, packed with hanami picnickers from day to night; the Kamo River, lined with large cherry trees; and the bloom-filled Imperial Palace Park. For a more peaceful option’ a morning stroll along the Philosopher’s Path, which runs charmingly alongside a cherry tree-lined canal, leading to a string of hidden temples and shrines.
Based on this, I planned my trip schedule with detailed information, and saved it as a PDF document so that I could review it when waiting at the airport. Doesn’t it sound like the perfect schedule for a day?
Organizing
Sakura, the Japanese term for cherry blossom, is the most iconic flower in this nation. Cherry blossom is so popular in Japan that there is a yearly spring tradition called Hanami (花見, literally means “flower-seeing”) — where people celebrate the flower blossoms by having outdoor parties under the sakura boughs.
As the host of a Hanami party, I was overwhelmed by the things I needed to prepare, such as groceries, picnic pads, beverages and snacks. The “Check List” feature in Noteledge came in handy. In order not to “lose face” before my Japanese friends, I quickly wrote down the must-buys before visiting a supermarket. With my shopping list already saved in my smartphone, I swiftly finished shopping! Hooray!
The best part of NoteLedge is helping me stay organized. I can easily copy and paste essential information from websites and trip schedules to my notes. Moreover, I love to import the photos of the beautiful scenery and group pictures, write down quick comments, doodle spontaneous feelings and share with friends via iMessage or other apps!
Capturing Memories
You cannot catch the very slight motions with still pictures and I have every intention to keep my memory in motion. The swinging cherry blossom, the bending willow, and the flying bird, it would be a shame if all these natural beauties were forced to be motionless pictures. And the curves of smiles while seeing this beauty should be captured as well! These moments should be captured as video clips!
Write-on Video turned my mobile device into a mobile movie-editor. Allowing me to import pictures and video clips of Japanese cuisine, souvenirs and the alluring scenery. I then was able to add captions, music and special effects to generate my very own movie in seconds!
If you missed the cherry blossom this year, take it easy. Because high tides and good vibes await in the upcoming summer! Creativity 365 can help you plan and remember your summer getaways!
