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Hanami in Kyoto/Osaka! [29.03.08 - 05.04.08]

Spring is one of the best times to visit Japan. The Hanami season lasts about 7 to 10 days, and during this time cherry blossom trees bloom all over Japan and people flock outdoors to view them. The weather is perfect - sunny yet not warm and everyone is in the party mood.

Kyoto

Kyoto is one of the most culturally rich cities in the world. Once the capital of Japan for 1000-plus years, Kyoto has become home to over 1600 Buddhist templates, 400 Shinto shrines, 17 Unesco World Heritage sites and the world's most impressive gardens. For foreigners, to visit Kyoto is to experience the best of Japan. For modern Japanese, it is a to discover what it means to be Japanese.

hot destinations

 

Arashiyama and Sagano (嵐山,)

Arashiyama is a pleasant, touristy district at the outskirts of Kyoto.

Tenryuji Temple (天龍寺)
Tenryuji, located in the center of Arashiyama, was built in 1339 and has been ranked first among Kyoto's "Five Great Zen Temples". It is famous for its landscape garden, which unlike the temple buildings has survived in its original form.

Bamboo Groves
Bamboo groves are found behind Tenryuji Temple and along the trail to the Okochi Sanso. The bamboo is still used to manufacture various products, such as baskets, cups, boxes, mats and pieces of art at workshops in the Arashiyama area.

Jojakkoji Temple (常寂光寺)

Spectacularly located halfway up a mountain. Jojakkoji was the final home of Empress Dowager Kenrei-mon-in, a principal character in the Tale of the Heike, one of the most important works of classical Japanese literature. It is said to have been built as a nunnery, and has a history reaching back to the 6th century. The temple's principal treasure is a statue of the Jizo and a pagoda surrounded by Japanese maples.

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