6 Best Temples to See Cherry Blossoms in Kyoto

Hirano Jinja is one of Kyoto’s most famous hanami spots, with 400 cherry blossom trees of 50 different varieties on its grounds. The shrine is also the site of the Oka-sai Matsuri, a sakura festival that has been celebrated yearly for over 1000 years, making it Kyoto’s longest-running event. The festival hosts a traditional procession of men in samurai armor on horseback, women in kimono with blossoms in their hair, and a portable shrine named omikoshi.

In the evenings during cherry blossom season, the shrine takes on a celebratory atmosphere and the grounds fill up with vendors selling festival foods. Why not join the Kyoto residents and tourists as they gather under the cherry blossoms to socialize over drinks?

Visiting Kiyomizu Temple, or Kiyomizu-dera, in Kyoto’s wooded eastern hills is like traveling back in time. This “Pure Water Temple” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Japan’s most celebrated temples. Kiyomizu Temple is best known for its 13-meter-high wooden platform that juts out from the main hall.

The platform affords visitors great views out over the numerous maple and cherry blossom trees below that burst into a bright sea of color in spring and fall. It also has panoramic views of Kyoto city center in the distance. Check out the main hall, which was built without the use of nails and houses the temple's primary object of worship: a small statue of the 11-faced, 1000-armed Kannon.

Shoji Temple is one of Kyoto’s oldest religious sites. Situated in the forests on the western perimeter of the city, the temple’s remote location and modest size means it doesn’t draw as many visitors as the more famous landmarks. Even so, it is well known among locals for its cherry blossoms and is nicknamed “The Flower Temple.”

Shoji-ji was the residence of the famous poet Saigyo, who is said to have planted many of the trees on-site, including the weeping cherry tree. A forested path between Shoji-ji and 2 other nearby temples passes by many sakura trees and offers a serene environment for you to appreciate them. 

Nestled into the mountainside, Daigo-ji is a large temple complex home to some of the city’s most beautiful weeping sakura trees. While the temple dates back more than 1000 years, the only structure to survive the centuries of fires is the stunning 5-story pagoda. Daigo-ji was all but derelict by the 16th century until Hideyoshi Toyotomi happened to visit during cherry blossom season; he was so taken by its beauty that he ordered a complete restoration. 

Within the temple complex is the Reihokan Museum, a vast collection of more than 100,000 pieces of Buddhist art. The museum garden is where you’ll find the weeping cherry trees, which are illuminated nightly to enchanting effect. 

The sprawling Ninna-ji Temple complex features fascinating architecture and a rare species of cherry blossom trees. Located in northwest Kyoto, the Ninna-ji site is laid out in Gosho style, a symmetrical pattern in which the main hall is flanked by a series of buildings connected via covered passageways. 

The omurozakura are a species of cherry blossom that rise to no more than 2 meters in height. Many poets have written about these trees over the centuries, and walking through the temple’s sakura grove you feel as if you’re wading in a pool of blossoms. These are also some of the last of the season to bloom: visit in mid to late April to catch sight of them.

Located in central Kyoto, just a 15-minute walk from Kyoto Station, Toji-ji is best known for its 5-story pagoda, one of the tallest pagodas in Japan. The temple grounds transform into a pink wonderland during the cherry blossom season, with delicate sakura petals providing an amazing contrast against the historic pagoda.

One of the highlights of this UNESCO World Heritage site during cherry blossom season is the night illumination event, where the cherry blossom trees are lit up. This creates a magical atmosphere, and the blossoms appear even more stunning.