This guide to sakura season in Japan and cherry blossom forecast for 2025 covers our favorite spots, best temples & shrines in Kyoto, tips & tricks for avoiding crowds. We also take a deeper dive into the topic, highlighting hidden gems where you’ll find fewer people and no busloads of tour groups. (Updated January 21, […]
Evening illuminations during sakura season are popular at temples, castles, and gardens in Kyoto, Japan. This list shares the best nighttime cherry blossom spots throughout the city, with 2024 dates & details, plus our recommended 1-night itinerary if you only have a single night to see all of the special lights. We’ve experienced sakura season […]
During spring sakura season, Hirano Shrine is one of the top spots in Kyoto cherry blossoms. Its nighttime illuminations and parties are among the best events in all of Japan. This post offers hanami at Hirano tips and our thoughts on the Oukasai Cherry Blossom Festival. (Updated March 14, 2024.) As we shared in updates […]
If you have two days during cherry blossom season in Kyoto, Japan, our step-by-step itinerary walks you through the best sakura spots in Arashiyama, Higashiyama, and more. This efficient plan avoids crowds, sees the most stunning temples & shrines, and maximizes your time in the world’s most beautiful city for cherry blossoms. Our 2-day Kyoto, […]
This 1-day Kyoto cherry blossom itinerary offers a walking route for seeing as much as possible during Japan’s popular sakura season. An efficient touring plan is important for Kyoto not just because there are a lot of beautiful cherry blossoms (they’re pretty much everywhere!), but because crowds can be overwhelming. Our plan of attack helps […]
During spring sakura season, Himeji Castle’s cherry blossom viewing parties and nighttime illuminations are one of the best events in all of Japan. In this post, we’ll offer some hanami at Himeji tips and our thoughts on the Himeji Nighttime Cherry Blossom Viewing Festival. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you […]
Taizoin Temple is home to some of Kyoto, Japan’s best gardens, and is the oldest and most famous subtemple of the even more famous Myoshinji. In this post, we’ll take a stroll through this stunning garden, past the iconic weeping cherry tree, karesansui, and Yoko-en Pond, sharing photos of all these beautiful features of Taizoin […]
Shinnyodo is an under-the-radar and free temple in Kyoto, Japan (officially known as Shinsho Gokuraku-ji Temple). It makes both our Top 10 Fall Color Spots and 10 Best Hidden Gem Photography Spots lists for Kyoto, an impressive feat as usually the best autumn foliage locations are among the most popular temples and shrines in Japan. […]
Today we wandered around Kyoto enjoying the cherry blossoms that are reaching full bloom. Realizing most people aren’t planning a trip to Japan during sakura season, adding even more to our already multi-thousand word Kyoto Cherry Blossom Viewing Guide & Sakura Season Tips post might be excessive. Instead, I thought a photo update might be […]
Spring in Japan means sakura season, and while we’re still a few weeks away from the first cherry blossoms, Starbucks has released its line of sakura drinks, food, and merchandise designs. We stopped into the Starbucks near Kyoto Station yesterday to try a few items, along with photos of the merchandise. Worth noting is that […]