The end of March and the first part of April was an especially quiet period around Kyoto. No foreign or Japanese visitors and even the people of Kyoto refrained from going out. Not only were the cherry trees blooming like usual offering us marvelous views full of flowers, but we were also blessed with beautiful weather and numerous sunny days.
In addition to my usual favorite “sakura” spots such as the Gosho Imperial Park, Hirano Jinja or Heian Jingu and the surrounding Hakozaki Canal and Keage Incline, this year I also focused on the Arashiyama area with such amazing places as the Daikaku-ji Temple with the Osawa Ike Pond and the Nison-in Temple, as well as little known or little-visited places like the lovely Rokusonnou Jinja Shrine or the marvelous Shôsei-en Garden, both located very near the Kyoto station.
And this year, for the first time we went to another area, the mountains located South-West of Kyoto where we enjoyed the superb Yoshiminedera Temple and other great places like the Shoboji Temple and the Shoujiji Temple (aka “Hana no Tera” or Temple of flowers).
Here’s a selection of photos of cherry blossoms taken around the city over the second half of March and in April.
Click on any of the thumbnails below to access the full-screen display and slideshow.
