This post is part 2 of my guide on where to see cherry blossoms in Japan. Read Part 1 here.

Where to see cherry blossoms in Kyoto, Osaka and Nara

Kyoto

Keage Incline

Keage Incline is an unused railway line that lined with cherry blossoms trees on either side. The branches overhang and almost touch to give a tunnel effect. It was a very popular photo spot for couples taking wedding photos.

Along the Okazaki Canal

Only a few minutes walk from Keage Incline is the Nanzejo boat pier where river boat cruises along the Okazaki Canal depart from. The canal has cherry blossoms lining either side of the water, but I actually don’t recommend doing the boat tour.

The boat has to sit really low in the water to fit under the bridges so most of the boat ride is actually just spent staring at the walls on either side of the canal. I only managed to get the below photo when the boat turned around to go back to the starting point.

Unless you’re in the front or back seat of the boat you’re photos won’t be very good as the rest of the seats face only one side. I think it was a waste of time and better photos are taken from the footpath and bridges above the canal of the boat in the water with the cherry blossoms. Like this:

Kiyomizu-dera

Kiyomizu-dera is a buddhist temple at the top of a hill which is supposed to have a good view of Kyoto. It was paid entry (400 yen) and I didn’t feel like visiting another temple by this point in the trip. But it’s still worth heading up there as there are other pagoda’s and cherry blossoms in the area before the ticket counter.

There are many places nearby where you can hire a kimono, so it’s relatively easy to get the ‘trifecta’ of Japanese girls dressed in kimono’s, with a Japanese building and the cherry blossoms all in the one photo like this:

Kyoto Imperial Palace

The Kyoto Imperial Palace had the best ‘bushy’ cherry blossoms. It was nearing past peak (see the green shoots coming behind the flowers?) but I still think these are some of the best photos I took of the cherry blossoms.

Nijo castle

It was approx. $20 AUD for entry into the Nijo castle nighttime cherry blossom viewing (book online instead of paying on arrival at the main entry gate to save some money).

It was good to see the cherry blossoms lit up at night, but I think it would’ve been better viewing during the daytime. Sometimes the lights aimed at the trees weren’t quite at the right angle or the trees were already past peak. It’s also harder to get a clear photo of the cherry blossoms at night, it’s much easier to photograph them during the day.

It was so packed it was basically a shuffle along the footpaths with the rest of the crowd.

There are plenty of other places where you can view cherry blossoms for free and get better photos. I don’t think the entry fee or effort to get to Nijo Castle was worth it. There isn’t much else to see at the Castle either anyway.

Arashiyama park

Arashiyama park had small clusters of cherry blossoms which were a very pretty hot pink! Well I think they were cherry blossoms… either way they looked very pretty.

Tip: When taking photos of the cherry blossoms, try and take close up photos focusing on low hanging branches. It also helps to get underneath the flowers so you have a blue sky background to provide contrast.

After you walk through Arashiyama park, walk along the riverbank, then head to the Monkey Park Iwatayama. Afterwards, you’ll likely head to Arashiyama station. The street with the station entrance is where I took the below photo:

Maruyama Park

Maruyama Park is surrounded by multiple temples and shrines but the best one for cherry blossom viewing is Yasaka Shrine.

Philosophers Path

I didn’t manage to make it to the Philosophers Path as it’s a bit out of the way (takes a long time to get anywhere in Kyoto via public transport), and I was satisfied with the cherry blossoms I’d already seen. But I have seen photos online that show a footpath lined with some impressive cherry blossom trees if you’re up for a walk.

When traveling around Kyoto

Keep your eyes peeled for pockets of cherry blossoms. I quickly snapped this on one of the trams while traveling around Kyoto.

Osaka

There are various cherry blossom trees scattered around the grounds of Osaka Castle, particularly near the moat.

Search Higashi-Sotobori Cherry Blossom Trees on Google to find the location where I took the below photo of the ‘tunnel’ of cherry blossom trees.

Osaka Castle

There is a viewpoint from the castle but the queue would’ve taken at least 2 hours and even if I had pre-booked tickets, I would’ve still had to queue. They were so many people and the line wasn’t moving, that they were even announcing over a loudspeaker that anyone that had a Kyoto multi-attraction pass had priority and could move to the front of the queue.

There are boat rides around the moat of the castle but the walls are so high I doubt you’ll really see anything.

Nara

Nara is only a short train ride from either Kyoto or Osaka (I took the train from Kyoto, went to Nara for half a day then spent the afternoon in Osaka).

Make sure you head to the water as there are usually cherry blossoms lining the sides of the water.

You might see some cute dogs posing for photos underneath the cherry blossoms too!

Japan packing list for cherry blossoms

Don’t be deceived by the pretty Instagram photos of girls in flowy dresses, they’re probably freezing their nips off!

Cherry blossoms typically bloom around the last week of March, first week of April which is the end of Japan’s winter and the start of their spring.

You can check the forecast here: https://www.japan-guide.com/sakura/ it has a great map with colour coded visual of which regions are at which stage of bloom.

Clear umbrellas are better for photos with the cherry blossoms because if you take a black umbrella (as I found out), your face will be in shadow in the photos. If it’s raining, some hotels let you hire a clear umbrella for the day.

Average temperature during cherry blossom season

This varies depending on where in Japan you go, but it was around 10°C to 18°C in most places I went to. I wore a Uniqlo thermal long sleeve shirt, Lorna Jane thermal leggings and a warm Kathmandu puffer jacket.

It was warmer in Kyoto and I could’ve worn a short sleeve shirt during the day, but then it gets very cold again at night so you should always have a warm jacket with you.

Is visiting Japan during cherry blossom season worth it?

If you like visiting Asian countries or have never visited an Asian country before and want to experience what a mega city (Tokyo) is like then it will probably be worth it.

Due to the cherry blossoms, prices were heavily inflated. For the price I paid, for the same duration (11 days), my dollar would go further in most parts of Europe.

I’m glad I went to Japan, and very glad I went during the cherry blossom season, as there wasn’t a lot else in the country that interested me. It’s not a place I need to go back to and I’d probably try a different country like South Korea or somewhere in the USA if I wanted to see cherry blossoms again.

Save yourself time, download a copy of my Japan itinerary that has all of the places mentioned in this post (plus must see attractions, viewpoints, logistics information on how to get from A to B etc.).

Editable version of the itinerary is available in my shop.

More Japan posts

• Visiting Tokyo Hands (one of Japan’s best stationery shops!)
• Detailed Japan Itinerary (11 Days in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka during cherry blossom season)
• Taking the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto (and is the Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) worth it?)

Travel planning tips

• How I use Excel to organize all my travel plans (research, itinerary, hotel, tours, bookings, packing list etc.)
• How I make my travel photobooks using Blurb (detailed tutorial, review and download a copy of my workflow printable)
• Travel Planning: 50 Things to consider when planning an itinerary 

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