Beautiful blossoms: Kyoto’s most stunning seasonal flowers and where to admire them

Azaleas bloom around the end of April and beginning of May, and there are several locations in Kyoto where you can admire their beauty. Wander the garden paths of Mimuroto-ji Temple in Uji City – aptly known as the ‘flower temple’ – to immerse yourself in a breathtaking ocean of around 20,000 azaleas.

Access:
15-minute walk from Mimurodo Station on the Keihan Uji Line.

Another fantastic spot is Nagaoka-kyo City’s Nagaoka Tenmangu Shrine, which has a 200-metre long entryway lined with Kirishima azalea trees. Their distinctive deep crimson blossoms match the red-and-white lanterns dotted along the edges, creating a wonderfully picturesque pathway.

Access:
20-minute walk from the west exit of Nagaokakyo Station on the JR Kyoto Line, or 10-minute walk from the west exit of Nagaoka Tenjin Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line.

Thanks to its gorgeous purple hue and ethereal hanging flowers, wisteria (fuji) is among the most popular blooms to see in Japan. One of the top spots to catch it is at the resplendent Byodo-in Temple in Uji City, which is best known for being featured on the front of the 10 yen coin. You’ll find three wisteria trellises in the temple garden, each transformed into a waterfall of violet by the trailing blossoms. The longest clusters grow over a metre long, and the sight of the central Phoenix Hall through the wisteria blossoms is beautiful enough to go on a postcard.

Access:
10-minute walk from Uji Station on the Keihan Uji Line, or from Uji Station on the JR Nara Line

In the idyllic woodland around Oitomi in Ayabe City is one of Kyoto prefecture’s best-kept floral secrets. Stroll through the area in the first half of May, and you’ll be treated to the spectacular sight of countless fringed irises (shaga) blanketing the forest floor. You can even find a 400-metre-long ‘corridor of irises’, which looks just like a scene from a fairytale. Be sure to take a close look at these pretty flowers to admire the splashes of purple and yellow on the white petals, as well as their intricate fringed edges. The woods are also worth visiting between the end of March to mid-April, when they are transformed into a sea of buttery yellow as countless oriental paperbush flowers (mitsumata) come into bloom.

Access:
The forest is best accessed by car – from the Yamake Intersection on National Route 27, enter Prefectural Road 1 and go straight to the border of Fukui Prefecture.

Roses (bara) are popular flowers all across the world, and Japan is no different. The Ayabe Rose Garden in Ayabe City was created by local volunteers, and has approximately 1,200 roses of an amazing 120 varieties blooming within its grounds. The most notable of these is the ‘Anne’s Rose’ variety, which grows in the central flowerbed. This was carefully cultivated from seedlings received from Anne Frank’s father, and lovingly tended ever since then as a symbol of peace.
　　　
The garden also has a system in which visitors can become partial “owners” of the garden. By paying 3,000 yen to sponsor a plant, visitors can leave a small signboard with their name and a message, which will stay in the garden for three years.

Access:
10-minute walk from the north exit of Ayabe Station (JR Sanin Line).

Unlike many other flowers in Japan, hydrangeas (ajisai) bloom during the rainy season in early summer. Because of the relative ease with which they can be grown, there are a wealth of different locations in Kyoto where you can admire their colourful clusters of blossoms. Yanagidani Kannon Yokoku-ji Temple in Nagaokakyo City has a Hydrangea Path with over 4,500 plants, and also adorns its purification fountain (where worshippers wash their hands before entering the temple) with their pastel blue, pink and yellow flowers.

Access:
Take the train on the Hankyu Kyoto Line to Nishiyama Tennozan Station and take a taxi for 10 minutes. Alternatively, take Hankyu Bus to Okukaiin-ji and walk for 40 minutes. From Hankyu (Kyoto Line) or JR (Kyoto Line) Nagaokakyo Stations, take a taxi for 15 minutes.

Another temple famous for its hydrangeas is Gansen-ji in Kizugawa City, to the south of Kyoto Prefecture. Here there are around 5,000 flowers of 30 distinct varieties, creating a stunning scene with the temple’s vermillion three-storied pagoda in the background surrounded by greenery.

Access:
Take the Kizugawa Community Bus from Kamo Station (JR Yamatoji Line) towards Kamoyamano-ie and alight at Gansenji.

Tanshu Kannon-ji Temple in Fukuchiyama City is also much celebrated for its hydrangeas, with over 10,000 flowers of 100 varieties growing within its grounds. Wandering among the masses of blue, purple, white and pink blossoms surrounding the temple buildings is nothing short of magical.

Access:
15-minute walk from JR Isa Station on the San’in Line.

To really lose yourself among the blossoms, pay a visit to Maizuru Nature and Cultural Park in Maizuru City. The park’s hydrangea garden is bursting with a staggering 100,000 hydrangea flowers in 100 different varieties, and you can enjoy a pleasant afternoon strolling along the paths through the multicoloured blossoms.

Access:
From JR Higashi Maizuru Station on the Maizuru Line, take the Kyoto Kotsu Bus Mihama Line to the Natural Culture Garden bus stop.