Early spring in Kyoto is the perfect time to see the cherry blossoms. I recommend visiting in the afternoon. Maruyama Park, Kyoto’s oldest park, is right next to Yasaka Shrine and is a famous cherry blossom viewing spot among Japanese people.
In the slightly chilly early spring, hundreds of cherry trees throughout the park burst into bloom, with layers of snowy white and pale pink. It wasn’t until I came to Japan that I realized there were so many varieties of cherry blossoms. At the center of the park is the famous Gion weeping cherry tree, cascading down like a magnificent waterfall. With flowers competing in splendor, the scenery is breathtaking. The park is filled with fragrant local food stalls. Steam from grilled dango and takoyaki drifts through the cool air, creating the lively, joyful atmosphere of a festival and making it hard not to join the lines.
I highly recommend bringing your own picnic blanket and choosing any patch of grass beneath the cherry trees to sit on the ground like the locals. You can even lie lazily on the lawn, letting the fresh breeze brush your cheeks. If you’re lucky, falling cherry blossoms will flutter down around you. Surrounded by the scent of flowers and shadows of the trees, you can enjoy the most authentic and soothing springtime experience in Kyoto.
