Kyoto: Blossoms Opening

It has been about a week since the opening of the first blossoms were announced in western Japan and Tokyo. The cherry blossom season is currently at best viewing in cities in Kyushu like Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Saga and Kumamoto. The blossoms in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka are still taking their time to open, and the best viewing period for these three major cities is predicted to start from Thursday or Friday and continue for a week or so from then. In addition to Sendai, which announced the opening of their first blossoms on April 2, Fukushima is the second city in the Tohoku Region to announce the opening of their first blossoms today.

I visited Kyoto today, three days since my last visit, to check on the progress of the blossoms. In my last visit, I reported that the blossoms had just opened, and predicted that the best viewing is expected to start from the middle of this week. However, while the open blossoms were more numerous compared to my last visit, it looked like there were a touch more closed buds than open blossoms in the city. Moreover, today was a very wet day with the temperatures hovering between 13-15 degrees, which made me believe that the start of the best viewing period is likely to be delayed a couple more days till Friday.

I started my day early at Arashiyama, and there were periods when I had the whole park to myself. I checked out the cherry trees along Arashiyama's main shopping street that is perpendicular to Arashiyama Station on the Keifuku Arashiyama Line, the trees in Arashiyama Park across from Togetsukyo Bridge, and the cherry tree grove not far from the Hankyu Arashiyama Station. I found the trees in Arashiyama Park to be the most advanced of the three spots I visited. Regardless, many of the blossoms look like they only need a day or two before they open, and I predict the best viewing period in Arashiyama to start by Friday and continue for another week or so baring inclement weather.

I made my way east after Arashiyama, and went to Maruyama Park. I found the weeping cherry trees to be at their peak, although the main one in the center of the park is approaching the end of its peak. The mainstream Somei Yoshino trees, on the other hand, need a couple more days to reach their peak. I expect the best viewing at Maruyama Park to start by the end of the week and continue for another week or so.

Until April 14, the weeping cherry tree in the middle of the park is illuminated from 18:00 to 22:00. Festival food and drink stalls can also be found in Maruyama Park during the cherry blossom season.

Next, I walked over to the nearby Kodaiji Temple, and the main star of the garden in spring is its beautiful weeping cherry tree, which was at full bloom when I visited today. The single tree is located in the temple's rock garden, and the two complement each other well. I expect the best viewing of the weeping cherry tree to continue through this weekend and into the first half of next week.

Until May 6, Kodaiji Temple is illuminated in the evenings from 17:00 to 22:00 (entry until 21:30). During this period, visitors can see Kodaiji under a different light and experience visiting a temple after dark.

My last spot on this rainy day was the ever popular Kiyomizudera Temple, which had a never-ending stream of visitors. I observed the cherry trees at Kiyomizudera to be under the halfway point to full bloom, and many of the buds look like they need at least 1-2 more days before they burst open. I expect the best viewing at Kiyomizudera to start by the end of the week and continue for another week or so.

Admission to Kiyomizudera now costs 500 yen, and payment is in cash only.