Perhaps the most visually striking of all of Japan’s cities, Kyoto enjoys a natural association with temples, geisha and tea ceremonies. Naturally, as winter shrinks and spring approaches, the old imperial capital is one of the most popular destinations to witness the annual emergence of Japan’s iconic pink flowers: the cherry blossom, or sakura.
Flower-viewing aside, there’s plenty more to do as the city stirs back to life after its long wintry slumber, from food tours to festivals. Take a scroll through our handy Kyoto spring itinerary to find out the best ways to enjoy this historic city and its surroundings in the spring.
What is the weather like in Kyoto in spring?
Due to being situated in a basin, Kyoto summers are known to be brutally hot and humid, but the spring is remarkably pleasant. In March, as the seasons transition from winter to summer, the city still remains fairly brisk, with highs of about 14°C. The temperature still drops quite drastically at night, with the occasional chance of snowfall early on in the month.
In April, on the other hand, the weather warms up significantly, with highs of 20°C not uncommon towards the middle of the month. May starts to see an especially sharp rise in temperature, with highs of 25°C not abnormal at midday by the end of the month — giving a glimpse of the old capital’s infamous summer heat.
When do the cherry blossoms appear in Kyoto?
According to the latest cherry blossom forecast, the first blossoms are slated to appear around March 27, with peak bloom happening on April 4.
Naturally, this is an extremely busy time for Kyoto, so if you’re looking to get accommodations, restaurant reservations or other kinds of bookings, you should definitely get started now!
Find out more: Cherry Blossoms in Kyoto: Best Places to See Sakura
What is there to do in Kyoto in the spring?
We’re glad you asked. Spring is the season of new birth and revival, and accordingly, after going into hibernation in the winter, Kyoto cultural activities stir back to life with the warmer weather. From sweet potato festivals to geisha dances, there’s no shortage of things to do to ring in the spring.
March
Chow down on sweet potatoes at the Kyoto Oimo Daisakusen
Perhaps no country loves its sweet potatoes like Japan. It’s not hard to see why — the humble sweet potato is an extremely versatile food, being able to be made into fries, mash, stews, or even just grilled or steamed whole.
The Kyoto Oimo Daisakusen (literally “sweet potato grand strategy”) in Umekoji Park is a yearly homage to this tantalizing tuber, with farmers and food trucks gathered from all over to sell, eat and promote sweet potatoes in all their various forms. While this year’s dates have not yet been revealed (as of the time of writing), the festival typically happens in late March.
Umekoji Park is just west of Kyoto Station, and borders the Kyoto Aquarium, making it very centrally located and easy to get to; just hop on the JR Sagano Line and get off at Umekoji-Kyotonishi Station. Once you’ve entered the park, just follow the crowds — and your nose — to reach the main festival grounds.
View the cherry blossoms
Let’s face it; the reason most people go to Japan in the spring is for the cherry blossoms, and accordingly, Kyoto has no shortage of excellent places to see these iconic pink flowers.
Since many of these are located near historic Kyoto temples and shrines, the resulting tableau is a sight that’s not to be missed. Visitors aside, locals will likewise be out in force to have flower-viewing picnics, called hanami, where loads of seasonal sakura-themed snacks and beer are consumed.
Particularly popular spots include Heian Shrine and the adjoining Okazaki Canal, the disused railroad tracks of the Keage Incline, the towering central tree of Maruyama Park, and, of course, the Philosopher’s Path that runs between Ginkaku-ji and Nanzenji Temples.
The unfortunate consequence is that a lot of these places are crammed full of people looking to do likewise; those who don’t go early to secure a good spot will have to go elsewhere, and as anyone who’s lived here for any extended period of time will tell you, there are few things Japanese people do better than arrive early.
As such, it might be advantageous to find an experienced person to take you to some of the city’s more underrated spots, such as the friendly guides of this Kyoto Cherry Blossom Tour, all of them old hands at the hanami game.
Let them take you around the city for a Kyoto spring from a local’s perspective, ducking into well-loved local haunts and rounding out the night with a spring-inspired dinner.
There is a little bit of hiking involved as well — the tour will take you up the slopes of Mount Hiei, the majestic peak that dominates the northeastern quadrant of urban Kyoto — but rest assured that the sight is absolutely worth it.
Find out more: What is Sakura? History, Culture & Types of Cherry Blossoms
April
Visit an art exhibition
Naturally, as one of the most historically significant cities in all of Japan and the former imperial capital, most people go to Kyoto expecting to immerse themselves in Japanese culture.
But Kyoto’s appeal doesn’t lie solely in its Japanese art and architecture; the city enjoys some of the best museums in all of Japan, featuring an eclectic mix of modern and traditional art from both within and outside the country.
Of these, two are of particular note, with the first being the KYOTOGRAPHIE International Photography Festival. Starting on April 12 and ending on May 11, the theme for 2025 is “humanity,” and looks to feature a healthy amount of both rising stars and seasoned veterans in the photography world.
The other exhibition not to be missed is the Monet: The Water Lilies exhibition from one of the world’s most prolific Impressionist painters. This one lasts a bit longer, with 50 of the painter’s most famous artworks taking up residence at the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art from March 7 to June 8 this year, the majority of which have been loaned from the Musee Marmottan Monet in Paris.
See a geisha dance
Kyoto is synonymous with geisha — their signature elaborate makeup and intricately-woven kimono are images inextricable from that of the city itself. Kyoto’s historic Gion geisha district is one of the few surviving in the country, and far and away Japan’s most famous.
It also just so happens that spring is one of the best seasons to see a geisha dance. There are several taking place throughout spring; the season starts with the Kitano Odori dance in the Kamishichiken district. Running from late March through early April, the Kitano Odori is considered a more intimate, smaller-scale performance, involving a traditional play and several themed dances.
Spring’s geisha dances culminate in the massive Miyako Odori — Kyoto’s largest and grandest performance in the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo theater. With over 150 years of history, the festival is far and away the most anticipated of all of Kyoto’s geisha dances, and tickets sell out quickly, even with four performances a day.
Harvest (and cook) your own vegetables
Kyoto’s famously pure spring water gives rise to some of the country’s most famous vegetables, regarded as the standard by which all other vegetables are judged. The spring harvest begins immediately after the winter recedes, and this means that some of Japan’s most famous crop is in peak season during April.
A bevy of food-related experiences allow visitors the opportunity to get their hands dirty by pulling vegetables straight from the soil — and after a rinse, get cooking with them. This one in particular, run by local farmers in Kyoto’s southern Muko district, allows people to harvest spring vegetables like nanohana (rapeseed flower) and udo (spikenard) and then use them in their very own handmade pizzas and accompanying appetizers.
You’ll make almost everything from scratch, from rolling out the pizza dough to cutting and preparing the vegetables, all the while getting some valuable insight into the process that goes into Kyoto’s historic agriculture. A translator will be present to aid aspiring farmers every step of the way, so don’t worry about missing a single thing out.
May
Attend the Aoi Matsuri festival
Kyoto has three major festivals happening throughout the spring, with the grandest of them all being the Aoi Matsuri held on May 15. This grand festival, dating back to the Heian period, commemorates the time that the Emperor sent a procession from the Imperial Palace to the Shimogamo and Kamigamo Shrines, in hopes that the gods would relieve the famine-wracked country.
This pilgrimage is replicated in the modern day with the procession departing from the Imperial Palace in the morning around 10:30 am, passing through Shimogamo Shrine and finishing at Kamigamo Shrine sometime in the late afternoon. The highlight is the central carriage, which is magnificently decorated and pulled by an honest-to-goodness ox, just as it was back in the day.
Naturally, one of the best places to see this is from the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden — though, as always, with all festival-related things, you’ll have to get there early to beat the crowds.
Witness horseback archery
Archery on horseback has got to be one of the most impressive traditional Japanese activities still carried out today — and without question the best place to see it is on May 3, when the Yabusame Shinji is held.
Taking place in the Tadasu no Mori Forest that runs southward from the aforementioned Kamigamo Shrine, the Yabusame Shinji is a ritual meant to purify the path of the Aoi Matsuri procession.
Clad in full Heian Period ceremonial dress, expert archers ride at full pelt down a 500-meter track to loose arrows at targets over 100 m away — successful hits mean good luck and a peaceful Aoi Matsuri.
It’s easily one of the most exciting things to do all of May; the sounds of thundering hoofbeats as the horses get closer and the roar of the crowd on a successful hit make it impossible for your heart not to race.
Staying in Kyoto? For more of the area’s best flowers, explore the best places to see Kyoto’s hydrangeas, or take a look through our finest Japan trip itineraries for a full list of things to do:
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