Kyoto’s Azaleas 2023

By Leila Sakamoto

If you love flowers, Kyoto is for you. Plum and peach blossoms, cherry blossoms, azaleas, wisterias, hydrangeas, lotuses and waterlilies, all until red and orange foliage steal the limelight in November. Not only does Kyoto have a wide variety of flowering trees, but the flowers are, by design, planted in the most scenic spots that result in the greatest photo opportunities.

Azaleas on a vast slope at Kyoto’s Keage Water Purification Plant

All around town, from small shrines on narrow streets to gardens, ponds and temples in the mountains, one can find dashes of wild colors in both obvious and unusual places. Who, for instance, would expect to find a tunnel of the densest cherry blooms along a disused rail track? Or an entire slope of perfectly trimmed azalea shrubs at the back of a municipal water purification plant? That's Kyoto for you. Beautiful in all seasons.

If you arrived late for the cherry blossom bloom (the season started more than a week early this year) despair not. Azaleas (and in some places wisterias) have started dressing the city in gorgeous pink, white and red, and adding a pop of color to the countryside as well. Called "tsutsuji" in Japanese, they come in numerous varieties, some of them native to Japan. The vibrant pink bushes that you see on Kyoto roadsides are mostly Satsuki Azaleas, a very popular species.

Then there are the Kurume Azaleas known for their small, delicate blooms and their evergreen foliage. They grow low to the ground so they are perfect for edging garden beds and can be found in many small, tucked away spots throughout Kyoto.

The most spectacular ones are the Kirishima Azaleas of Nagaoka Tenmangu, the number one azalea spot in Kyoto. You can dine at the beautiful restaurant Kinsuitei by the temple's Hachijoga Pond, and have spring cuisine of bamboo shoots while enjoying the scenery.

One of the best places around Kyoto to view azaleas is the Azalea Garden in Mimuroto-ji in nearby Uji. It has some 20,000 azalea trees and is open this year from April 22 to May 14 from 08:30 - 15:40 for viewing (admission charges apply).

For a walk on the wild side, head to the Takao mountain area in the north, where you'll find "yama-tsutsuji," or mountain azaleas, known for their purplish pink colors and hardy nature. They are quite a site in full bloom!

Mountain azaleas on Takao Mountain north of Kyoto

Within Kyoto city there is the Keage Water Purification Plant, with a hillside slope awash with vibrant shades of pink and white; Nijo Castle bursting with colors on its vast grounds; and Shisendo, a villa with a Tang-style garden and Satsuki azaleas that form perfect mounds. Just 10 minutes walk from Genji Kyoto is the serene Chishaku-in with azaleas dotting its stunning temple gardens.

Then finally, of course, there is Sky Forest Garden on our rooftop, where guests can relax with a drink or a meal while enjoying yellow Kerria (Yamabuki in Japanese) and azaleas in different shades of red and pink.