Kyoto Night Cherry Blossom Spots Top3【Gion Shirakawa, Nijō-jō Castle, Hiranojinja Shrine】

There are many night cherry blossom spots in Kyoto, I will show you my top3 night cherry blossom spots.

Please check map, good points, photos and enjoy night cherry blossom watching and drinking?

Kyoto Night Cherry Blossom Spots – Map and Access

Kyoto night cherry blossom spots map.

Click the red marks on the map below to see the details.

There are stations near Gion Shirakawa (祗園白川) and Nijō-jō castle (二条城).

Distances to Hirano shrine (平野神社),

It’s very convenient to take the JR line, but it’s a bit far away from Hirano shrine (平野神社).

If you take the Keifukudentetsu line (京福電鉄), you need 30 min from Shijō Oomiya station（四条大宮) to Kitanohakubaichou station.

If you have time, it may be better to take the Keifukudentetsu line (京福電鉄) or the Kyoto city bus.

My No.1 spot is Hirano shrine (平野神社), by far the best!

Good points of Hirano shrine (平野神社),

There are many cherry trees inside Hirano shrine (平野神社) , about 400 trees.
There are about 60 kinds of cherry trees, blooming at different times, so you can watch cherry blossoms for about one month and a half, longer than other places.
With all the people partying in the park and the stands for the snacks, it feels like a Japanese festival.
The admission is free.

The history of Hirano shrine (平野神社) is very old, it was built around 1,200 years ago.

The Japanese emperor planted cherry trees about 1,000 years ago, it has been very famous cherry blossom spot ever since.

My No.2 spot is Gion Shirakawa (祇園白川).

Good points of Gion Shirakawa (祇園白川),

The cherry blossom light up of Gion Shirakawa (祗園白川) was held in 2019, but it was canceled in 2017, 2018.

The reasons for the cancellation are security concerns because of the increasing number of tourists, but also the bad manners of some tourists.

Let’s hope it will be held every year in the future.

Here is Kiyamachi street ( 木屋町通り ), west side of Gion Shirakawa (祗園白川).

The last spot is Nijō-jō castle (二条城), world heritage.

Good points of Nijō-jō castle (二条城),

There are 300 cherry trees and about 50 different varieties, so you can watch cherry blossoms longer than in other places.
You can also visit a Japanese style castle.
You can see the projection mapping show (on the walls of the castle).
There is another good – but smaller – night cherry blossom spot nearby: Jinsenen (神泉苑), and the entrance is free.

Unfortunately, there is an entrance fee to enter Nijō-jō castle (二条城).

Entrance fees in 2019:

In 2019, the entrance was free if you wore Japanese style clothes, such as “Kimono” or “Yukata”.

Nijō-jō castle (二条城) was the Kyoto palace of the successive Tokugawa shoguns, then of the Japanese emperor.

Night cherry blossom photos at Nijō-jō castle (二条城).

The following photos were taken in Jinsenen (神泉苑), near Nijō-jō castle (二条城).

You can go there before or after visiting Nijō-jō castle (二条城).

Which spot do you feel is the best?

There are many night cherry blossom spots in Kyoto, please consider my favorite spots as well.

Let’s enjoy cherry blossom parties?