In Spring (March and April), it’s a tradition for Japanese people to go see cherry blossoms (sakura / 桜). This traditional activity is called “cherry blossom viewing (hanami/花見)”.
As a Kyoto native, I’ve been to almost all of Kyoto’s major cherry blossom viewing spots (from the most crowd-pleasing one to the least instagrammable one).
Here are Kyoto’s 5 best cherry blossom viewing spots that are common sense to locals.
Maruyama Park (円山公園)
Maruyama Park in the touristy Gion (祇園) area is the most famous cherry blossom viewing spot in Kyoto. This place could be interchangeably called “Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社)” because they are adjacent to each other.
Maruyama Park is famous for two things: The iconic Gion Weeping Cherry Tree (祇園枝垂桜 / gion sidare zakura) among other 680+ cherry blossom trees is one. And the other is the outdoor dining space with street food vendors selling food and sake (酒).
Hirano Shrine (平野神社)
Located near Kyoto’s UNESCO site Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji / 金閣寺), Hirano Shrine is one of the most popular ones as a not-so-touristy cherry blossom viewing spot. This place is packed with local university students and adults having a feast with lots of sake.
Philosopher’s Path (哲学の道)
Philosopher’s Path (also known as “Philosopher’s Walk” and “Tetsugaku No Michi”) is a 2km (1.2 miles) long pedestrian path leading to Kyoto’s UNESCO site Silver Pavilion (Ginkakuji / 銀閣寺). The path goes along with cherry blossom trees and a canal. It’s magical when the canal literally turns pink as fallen cherry blossom petals cover the surface of the water.
Kiyamachi Street (木屋町通り)
Kiyamachi Street (also known as Kiyamachi-dori) is not a designated cherry blossom viewing spot. It’s just another boring street in Downtown Kyoto unless 200+ cherry blossom trees are in full bloom on the 1km (0.6 miles) long street by Takase River. The street looks even more exotic at night in Japanese lighting.
Keage Incline (蹴上インクライン)
Keage Incline is the world’s longest abandoned incline railway (582m / 0.3 miles) near Kyoto’s famous Nanzenji Temple (南禅寺). This place has an other-worldly vibe like a scene from Studio Ghibli movies. You might need proper shoes to climb up and down the incline while endlessly dodging other cherry blossom viewers under the hanami spell.
Personal pick: Kizakura Kappa Country (キザクラカッパカントリー)
Kizakura Kappa Country is a museum/restaurant bar run by Japan’s famous sake company Kizakura (黄桜) in Fushimi Ward (伏見区). Kizakura is famous for their (Kyoto’s first) craft beer “Kyoto Bakushu (京都麦酒)”. At Kizakura Kappa Country, drinking fresh alcohol on the terrace while being attacked by falling cherry blossom petals is a sheer luxury.
Fun fact: Kizakura (黄桜) in Japanese means “yellow (黄) cherry blossom (桜)”. It sounds about right to drink at Kizakura Kappa Country during the cherry blossom viewing season.
The facade of Kizakura Kappa Country.
Tips
The cherry blossom viewing season in Japan is considered to be between mid-March and late-April. To get the best of the cherry blossom viewing experience, it’s helpful to know Japan’s official cherry blossom forecast (image from the website is below).
The image of Japan’s official cherry blossom forecast. Kyoto is almost the same as Osaka. (website)
While in Kyoto during cherry blossom viewing season, if you’re keen to check out how night life goes, you might like Maruyama Park (円山公園), Hirano Shrine (平野神社), and Kiyamachi Street (木屋町通り). Maruyama Park is festive.
A traditional Japanese haunted attraction “obake yashiki (お化け屋敷)” at Yasaka Shrine (Maruyama Park).
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