With the start of Spring, Japan’s cities and countryside begin to adorn with the cloud-like white and pink blooms of Sakura. Visiting this lovely cherry blossom was one of our biggest dreams when we started our academic life at Tohoku University in Sendai. We could enjoy cherry blossom in Sendai for several years until we moved to Kyoto University. At Kyoto, we were lucky to get some of the most memorable experiences and epic views of cherry blossom. We enjoyed ourselves a lot and had a truly stunning cherry blossom in Kyoto.
Kyoto or the “City of Temples” consider the most attractive place in Japan for viewing the cherry blossom. Most of the ancient temples in Kyoto have an elegant, large garden filled with Sakura trees. During cherry blossom season, these temple gardens become heaven with thousands of Sakura flowers. Although temples in Kyoto become quite crowded during this time, the views are magnificent and completely worthy to visit mingling with many visitors.
The cherry blossoming season lasts only one or two weeks. For these few weeks, Kyoto become a lively paradise with hanami parties and picnics under the gorgeous Sakura blooms. If you’re planning a trip to Kyoto, arrange it during this remarkable time of the year. Watching this amazing Sakura festival is one of the best things not to miss in Kyoto city.
Here we are going to share our experiences of viewing cherry blossom in this historical city of Kyoto. We enjoyed the picturesque views a lot and captured the best shots in our lens. We hope you’ll include these fantastic places on your bucket list when visiting the cherry blossom in Kyoto.
1. Heian Jingu Shrine
With one of the largest vermillion Torii gates in Japan, Heian Jingu Shrine gives a glorious view during cherry blossom season. This Torii gate is very impressive even from a far distance. When combined with the pink of the cherry blossoms, it appears more gorgeous in the Sakura season.
The garden of Heian Shrine is one of the best spots to see cherry blossom in Kyoto. There are lots of weeping cherry trees in the garden behind the shrine’s main buildings.
It is a very popular spot to see different kinds of Sakura varieties. The stunning reflections of weeping cherry trees in its pond are really photogenic scenery. The evening illuminations are quite famous and many visitors come to enjoy them in the afternoon.
2. Okazaki Canal
Located just outside of Heian Shrine, Okazaki Canal connects the Kamo River with Lake Biwa Canal. It is lined by many cherry trees and stroll along this path gives an eye-pleasing view to the visitors.
It is a very popular place for boat rides beneath the blossom. There are frequent boat tours during the hanami season. These boats are filled with photographers who like to capture the glorious shots of Kyoto city with the background of pink clouds of Sakura.
Except for Sakura, Okazaki Canal is a gorgeous sightseeing place adorned with lovely Canola blooming. Both Canola and Sakura are flowering with the start of spring and walking along the Okazaki canal gives wonderful views to the visitors.
We walked along the canal for quite a long distance watching the gorgeous sceneries. The blend of cherry blossom and canola blooms gave us endless opportunities to capture some epic photogenic shots.
If you like to capture fully bloomed deep yellow Canola fields with Sakura, this is the ideal spot in Kyoto. Here are a few of the striking snaps of the canola fields along with pink Sakura in Okazaki Canal.
3. Keage Incline
Closer to Okazaki Canal, you’ll find one of the epic spots to see cherry blossom in Kyoto. It is Keage Incline, a gentle slope with old railway tracks. It was a part of a canal and tunnel system that connect Kyoto with Lake Biwa on the other side of the mountains. These canals were used to transport boats between the Okazaki canal and Lake Biwa until 1948.
This abandoned railway line margined by lots of cherry trees is an ideal place to capture the beauty of Sakura in Kyoto. The railway track is around 500 meters in length and more than a hundred cherry blossom trees bloom along the entire line.
This is a National Historic Site, quite famous among visitors for its picturesque view of cherry blossom. It looked like a Sakura tunnel and we walked beneath it admiring the cherry blossoms. The beauty of the surrounding was mesmerizing and it was like walking in a flower paradise.
4. Maruyama Park
Maruyama Park next to Yasaka Shrine is most probably the number one spot for the hanami parties in Kyoto. There are many food stalls and restaurants to enjoy delicious food and drinks under the Sakura trees. Even there are night illuminations, where you can stay until late at night, enjoying the lovely sceneries.
The star of this park is a centuries-old large weeping cherry tree, that lights up in the evenings. This huge Sakura tree named “Gion Shidare-Sakura” is famous as the park’s symbol. This weeping cherry tree has grown from the seed of its 200-year-old predecessor. If you are visiting Maruyama Park, be sure to have a look at this ancient Sakura tree.
5. Kyoto Botanical Garden
Kyoto Botanical Garden is one of the most attractive places to see the cherry blossom. Around 500 cherry blossom trees including more than 100 varieties of Sakura planted at the Kyoto Botanical Gardens.
One of the major highlights of the garden is the centuries-old glorious weeping cherry tree. This majestic weeping cherry tree stands next to the large lawn area in the center of the garden. It is a photogenic tree that gives stunning shots of Shidare-Sakura blooming.
The evening illuminations in Kyoto Botanical Garden are quite famous among visitors. We could visit these fantastic evening lightings during our visit to the park. The illuminations held from sunset and we stayed there until late evening, admiring the beautiful sceneries. The lovely sight of Sakura with colorful lightings was one of the truly memorable experiences we had in Kyoto.
6. Philosopher’s Pathway
The Philosopher’s Path is a lovely walkway beside a canal between Silver Temple and Nanzenji Temple. Its name originates from the fact that many literary scholars who lived in Kyoto have walked down this path. The 2 km long pathway is lined by more than 500 blooming cherry trees.
This beautiful pathway is listed as one of the “Top 100 Paths of Japan”. Exploring Philosopher’s pathway is a fantastic way to start a day of walking in Kyoto cherry blossom season. The sight of Sakura blooming along both sides of this path gives a dazzling view to the visitors. It will give you many opportunities to capture the beauty of cherry blossom in Kyoto city.
7. Kiyomizudera
This is a highly famous visitor attraction in Kyoto city, which becomes more attractive during cherry blossoming. There are lots of cherry trees around the Kiyomizudera temple gardens. Although it is quite crowded, the view from the large balcony of Kiyomizudera gives an unparalleled view to anywhere in Kyoto city.
When we visit Kiyomizudera during cherry blossom season, it was quite crowded with many visitors. We enjoyed the sceneries in the front garden among lots of cherry trees. Even from outside, it gave us a quite impressive view of the tall pagoda adorned with pink blossoms.
8. Kamo River
Kamo River or Kamogawa runs through the central Kyoto area. Cherry trees are planted in many places along the river. It is one of the most pleasant places for a leisurely walk admiring cherry blossom.
There are benches to sit and enjoy the sceneries of Sakura blooms along the river. We had an afternoon stroll along the Kamo River and then sat on a bench to relax among pink Shidare-Sakura blooms.
If you are going to visit Cherry blossom in Kyoto, the best time is from the end of March until mid-April, peaking around 1-3rd of April. The exact days can vary each year and read the cherry blossom forecast before planning your visit. You can enjoy the whole day under the cherry blossoms, tasting Japanese food, and mingling with crowds regardless of the time. Without a doubt, you’ll have a lifetime golden memory and marvelous experience viewing the cherry blossom in Kyoto.!
