Kyoto One Day Off The Beaten Track Cherry Blossom Itinerary

My one-day Kyoto cherry blossom itinerary lets you escape the crowds and enjoy the blossoms to the full by guiding you to the temples, shrines and gardens that are off the beaten track

[Shinyodo-temple with cherry blossoms © mshades]

9am: Shinyo-do Temple
Start the day by heading up to Shinyo-do Temple, up on Yoshida-yama. The main hall of this temple is surrounded by lovely cherry trees, and there are some more beauties outside the main gate. Bus Nos. 5, 203 and 204 all stop nearby. The closest stop is the Kinrin Shako-mae stop. It’s a little tricky to find from there (use our map to find the way). Of course, all buses will be packed during this season, so a taxi direct from your hotel is a very good idea and will save time and effort.

10am: Yoshida-yama
Walk east out of the temple’s main vermillion gate and continue straight for about 100 meters through a residential neighborhood and up a flight of steps to reach the top of Yoshida-yama (a small hill). Work your way north across the top of the hill (crossing a street en route). It will take some route finding, but you’ll eventually descend down to Imadegawa-dori Street.

[Kamo-gawa River with cherries © 41265963]

Noon: Walk to Kyoto Gosho Walk west (away from the mountains) on Imadegawa for about 20 minutes, passing Kyoto University and crossing Higashioji-dori en route. You’ll eventually find yourself at the confluence of the Kamo-gawa and Takano-gawa rivers. This is the area known as Demachiyanagi. Grab some food in a nearby convenience store and continue west along Imadegawa. Cross the Kamo-gawa and Kawaramachi-dori, then continue for another 400m until you see the Gosho (Kyoto Imperial Palace Park) on your left.

2pm: Kyoto Gosho (Imperial Palace Park)
Enter the Gosho via the Imadegawa Entrance and then take a right on the first major promenade in the Gosho and walk west. Another 200m or so will bring you to the site of the former Konoe Residence, which has some magnificent weeping cherry trees. This is not exactly off-the-beaten-track, but it’s big enough to take a lot of people without feeling crowded. You can have a picnic lunch here.

4pm: Return to Hotel to Rest
After lunch, you can walk to the Imadegawa subway station and take a train back downtown. . Take a well-deserved rest at your lodgings.

6pm: Dinner Downtown
Eat dinner downtown wherever you can find a seat.

[Kiyamachi in the evening with cherry blossoms © 126057645@N04]

8pm: Kiyamachi
Walk south on Kiyamachi from Sanjo-dori. Kiyamiachi is two streets west of the Kamo-gawa. The canal that runs parallel to Kiyamachi is lined with cherry trees that are illuminated during cherry blossom season. It will be crowded until you reach Shijo-dori. Cross Shijo and continue along Kiyamachi. About 100 meters south of Shijo, the crowds thin out and you can enjoy this magical arcade of illuminated cherry trees with few people around to bother you.

Kyoto One-Day Off-the-Beaten-Track Cherry Blossom Itinerary Map

The Kyoto One-Day Off-the-Beaten-Track Cherry Blossom Itinerary map shows the location of each of the places mentioned. You can view a full screen version too.

Kyoto Cherry Blossoms Guide

• When Do Cherry Blossoms Bloom In Kyoto?
• Where Is The Best Place To See The Cherry Blossoms In Kyoto?
• Where To Stay In Cherry Blossom Season In Kyoto
• Where To Stay If Kyoto Is Fully Booked
• Best Places To See Cherry Blossoms Away From The Crowds
• Best Places For A Cherry Blossom Viewing Party (Hanami Party) In Kyoto

Kyoto Cherry Blossom Itineraries

• Kyoto 2-Day Cherry Blossom Itinerary
• Kyoto One-Day Cherry Blossom Off-The-Beaten-Track Itinerary
• Kyoto Evening Cherry Blossom Itinerary
• Kyoto Romantic Cherry Blossom Itinerary

Cherry Blossoms In Other Japanese Cities

• Japan Cherry Blossoms
• Hiroshima and Miyajima Cherry Blossoms
• Kanazawa Cherry Blossoms
• Kobe Cherry Blossoms
• Nara Cherry Blossoms
• Takayama Cherry Blossoms

Visiting Tokyo or Osaka?

See my guides to viewing cherry blossoms in Tokyo and the best Osaka cherry blossom spots too.

You can check availability of Kyoto hotels during cherry blossom season (mid-March to mid-April) on Agoda.com

Where Are These Places Located?

• Open the Kyoto map
• You will see the list of places on the left hand side. (Click the 3-line icon in the top left corner if not). Scroll down or use the map search (the magnifying glass icon) to find the place you want.
• Click the name of the place in the list. Its location pin will be highlighted on the map.
• Map pins are color coded - BLUE: Hotels | VIOLET: Ryokan | PINK: Places to Eat | YELLOW: Things to See and Do
• If you’re using the map on your phone, open the map and then search for the name of the place. The map will then zoom in on its location.

Other Inside Kyoto Pages Of Interest:

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