Not faded, leaving a memory of cherry blossoms, a highlight spot in Kyoto! [Kyoto Pref.]

If the season goes on without tasting the spring of Kyoto, I feel like I've lost something. It is also a unique attraction of Kyoto that there are many scenic spots where historic buildings and cherry blossoms interweave. The spring of Kyoto is colored in cherry blossoms, and it gently accepts visitors.

There are many cherry blossom sights in Kyoto, but we will introduce hot spots that leave memories that will not fade away over time.

The first place I visited was "Taizoin," the head of Myoshinji temple, Japan's largest Zen temple. It has also been a poster for JR Tokai's "Shall we go to Kyoto" campaign. Myoshinji "Taizoin" is located in Kyoto rakusei.

Taizoin, with a history of over 600 years is an old temple which have two gardens, Dry Landscapes Garden "Motonobu's garden" created by the painter Motonobu Kano in Muromachi era and the style of garden a feature around a pond "Yokoen" created by the  landscapist Kinsaku Nanake in Showa era.

When you go through the gate where the gourd is drawn, it is "Yokoen" of "Taizoin" to be greeted by the large red cherry tree with its branches hanging down. The shower of red weeping cherry blossoms falling on the dry landscapes garden (Sun garden, Shade garden) with the color of each season is beautiful.

I was able to enjoy the parallel performance of the gentle stream of weeping cherry blossoms and each stone garden. It is a privilege of this season to be able to look at the famous garden of Showa, under the umbrella of weeping cherry blossoms, which seems to be wrapped from the sky. When full bloom is over and cherry blossoms fall, it will be a beautiful scenery with petal falling on the ridges of the sand crest. The contrasting beauty of the rock garden and the swaying cherry blossoms, which give balance and harmony, will leave a strong impression on you.

Yokoen's style of garden a feature around a pond is built to allow the waterfall to flow into the pond, taking advantage of its sloped westward topography. You can hear the water sermon and the birdsong if you listen. The branches of the light red cherry blossoms gracefully, and the air of the quiet temples seems to be sparkling somewhere.

Even if there is a typhoon damage, the cherry blossoms that still bloom "Hirano Shrine"

The next place I visited was the Hirano Shrine, which is known as a famous spot for cherry blossoms. It is a historical shrine that tells that the four deities, who were enshrined in Heijokyo by Emperor Kanmu, were transposed to the present land when Heian was moved to 794 AD.

In the precinct, 60 kinds, about 400 cherry trees are planted. Beginning with the peach cherry blossoms that bloom in mid-Mar, followed by the cherry blossoms that begin to bloom beside the God gate, you can enjoy cherry blossoms over a period of one month until around April 20.

Damage caused by typhoon No. 21 in 2018 has caused enormous damage, such as the collapse of the Hirano Shrine building and dozens of fallen cherry trees. Currently, the building has been removed and is waiting for reconstruction.

The cherry blossoms also suffered great damage, such as broken trees and broken branches. However, since it is Kyoto's leading cherry blossom spot, the cherry blossoms were so beautiful that visitors did not feel that there was any damage.

Collaboration of Shogunzuka cherry blossoms and night view, large stage with the panoramic view of Kyoto city

We accessed via Yamashina, Higashiyama driveway and headed for Shogunzuka at the summit of Higashiyama. It is a relatively open cherry blossom viewing spot even in busy Kyoto. Kyoto Prefecture used a large wooden structure built in Kitano Tenman-gu to commemorate the Emperor Taisho Era, as a martial arts dojo. After that, in 2014, as "Seiryuden", it was relocated and rebuilt here on the summit of Higashiyama, and a large stage where you could overlook Kyoto city was also set up, and it was born as a new landmark.

It is a large wooden stage 4.6 times the size of the stage of Kiyomizu Temple, and you can overlook Kyoto city below. The garden is a stroll garden with dry landscapes garden, and is a wonderful garden where the technology and beauty of the Japanese garden are concentrated.

From the west observatory, you can admire the large stage, cherry blossoms, Seiryuden, and the night view, and the exclamations of the fantastic beauty come out. About 200 cherry trees were planted in the precinct, and we were able to enjoy the wonderful collaboration between the garden and the cherry blossoms. Looking down at the gorgeous old capital of spring, the cherry blossoms are discolored in the evening scenery, illuminated by the light when it was dark, and once again the splendid night cherry blossoms float on the summit of Kyoto Higashiyama.