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Nijo Castle is one of the preeminent cherry blossom spots in Kyoto City. After going through two world wars, the number of cherry trees was seen to decline, but in the period from 1960 to 1970, many cherry trees were replanted, and now there are more than 400 cherry trees with about 50 different species at the castle.
Of course there are the more popular species of cherry trees at Nijo Castle, such as the someiyoshino (a hybrid species from crossbreeding of the edohigan and oshimazakura species). There are also other species represented as well, such as the kanhizakura near the Higashi-Ote-mon (East Main Gate), a species of cherry tree native to Taiwan that hangs down in half-bloom; the satozakura, a species crossbred in the various outlaying villages; the yamazakura (mountain cherry trees) at the Seiryu-en Garden (a wild species of cherry tree native to Japan); and the famous shidarezakura, a variety of the edohigan species with long drooping branches. Each species of cherry tree has its own slightly different full-bloom period, but they all create tunnel-like shapes under the trees as they bloom in spring, as if competing to create beautiful shapes and crowd the castle grounds.
Furthermore, a special illumination event is held at night in the castle grounds during the full-bloom period employing LED footlights. This fantastic atmosphere, created by the lights and the cherry trees, is something you cannot see during the daytime, another face of Nijo Castle that never fails to bewitch all visitors. |
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| Refer to the official HP for information on the illumination time period and hours. |
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| * The picture of the southeast corner dungeon tower and cherry blossoms is a composite image. |
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| Weeping cherry trees |
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