Hanami in Kyoto 2014

Hanami in Kyoto 2014
This year, I was lucky enough to visit Kyoto during cherry blossom on two separate occasions! Here are some of my pics I took while I was wandering around.

I spent most of my time in the East of the city – my favourite area as there’s so much to see, conveniently that’s also where the Keihan railway goes!

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Shirakawa
I jumped off the train at Gion Shijo station, my first stop was the beautiful Shirakawa-dori in Gion.

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Shirakawa

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Shirakawa

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Shirakawa

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Shirakawa
This area had an evening light-up event running, so I headed on with a plan to come back after dark.

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Heian Shrine torii
I started going north, passing the giant torii gate of Heian Shrine

Hanami in Kyoto 2014
It’s over 24 metres tall, and the uprights almost 4 metres in diameter!

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Tetsugaku-no-michi
Next stop, the Tetsugaku-no-michi(哲学の道), known in English as The Philosopher’s Walk. This tree-lined 1.8km route runs from Nanzen-ji in the south to Ginkaku-ji in the north. It gets pretty busy during cherry blossom, but the rest of the year it’s a nice spot for a quiet stroll. I walked about halfway along and then sat and watched the world go by for a bit.

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Tetsugaku-no-michi

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Tetsugaku-no-michi

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Tetsugaku-no-michi

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Tetsugaku-no-michi

Hanami in Kyoto 2014

Hanami in Kyoto 2014
On the back towards southern Higashiyama, I came across even more trees in bloom near Kyoto Zoo.

Hanami in Kyoto 2014

Hanami in Kyoto 2014

Hanami in Kyoto 2014

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Maruyama Koen
Maruyama Koen was looking so nice, this weeping cherry tree(shidarezakura) was the main attraction.

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Maruyama Koen
I still had a while until dark, so I grabbed a table with a good view of the shidarezakura and had a couple of beers. It wasn’t so busy this time of day but there was still a good atmosphere.

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Maruyama Koen

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Maruyama Koen

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Maruyama Koen

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Maruyama Koen

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Shirakawa
Lastly, I went back to Shirakawa-dori for the light-up!

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Shirakawa
Tatsumi Daimyojin Shrine looked fantastic after dark.

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Shirakawa

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Shirakawa

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Shirakawa

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Shirakawa

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Shirakawa

Hanami in Kyoto 2014 - Shirakawa
So that was my Hanami in Kyoto! I’m looking forward to seeing more cherry blossom at the Japan Mint(造幣局) in Osaka early next week!

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