It’s the end of the year, and a lot of people are moving left and right around Kyoto. Everyone is in anticipation of finishing 2025 and having fun entering 2026. We just posted a new blog entry suggesting a few things to do for the end of the year and the beginning of the new one. We hope you’ll enjoy it.
We’ll try to post photos and news regularly to show you how Kyoto is looking, changing according to the seasons. Enjoy!
Akiko & Patrick
Hanami Party in Maruyama Koen
Hanami (“flower viewing”) is the traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers. This often involves a picnic party to enjoy the cherry blossoms as well as food and drinks. People have a Hanami party with friends, family or colleagues . . .
Weeping Cherry Trees
Our Ten Favorite Weeping Cherry TreesWe are mid-March, and the early-blooming cherry trees (such as the Okame Zakura, the Kawazu Sakura, or the Harumeki Zakura are now in full bloom in Kyoto. From next week, Kyoto’s iconic weeping cherry blossoms will begin to bloom....
End of the year in Kyoto
Traditional End-of-Year & New Year's Events and ActivitiesDuring the end of the year in Kyoto, you can experience traditional festivities like Joya-no-kane bell ringing, witness winter illuminations (Kyoto Station), participate in Hatsumode (first shrine visit),...
Season’s Greetings
The post expresses heartfelt New Year wishes from Akiko and Patrick to their guests, reflecting on a rewarding 2025 filled with diverse cultural interactions. They appreciate the positive feedback on their traditional Kyoto Machiya accommodations and their efforts to share Kyoto’s beauty. They pledge to enhance their website with more engaging content.
Okame Cherry at the Chotokuji Temple
While the exact start of cherry blossom season varies each year, the order in which the flowers bloom remains constant. Kyoto is home to a wide variety of cherry trees, from early bloomers to the widely beloved Somei Yoshino, and finally, the late-blooming varieties....
Setsubun Ceremony
The Setsubun Festival (節分祭) at Yasaka Shrine is one of Kyoto’s most vibrant spring purification rituals, celebrated annually on February 2nd and 3rd. This event marks the transition from winter to spring in the Japanese lunar calendar and is meant to ward off evil...
Taking photos of Maiko
The author admires Maiko and Geiko in Kyoto’s Hanamachi districts and urges respectful photo etiquette when encountering them. They stress not to obstruct, use flash, or demand poses, underscoring the performers’ humanity and work. The piece concludes by encouraging silent admiration without cameras to fully appreciate their elegance and presence.
Hanami – Cherry Blossoms in Kyoto
With over 200 photos, this photo ebook will not only show you the beauty of the cherry blossoms in Kyoto but will explain and describe the way the Japanese people enjoy this season. It will provide you with information and suggestions to discover and enjoy this most wonderful season…
Empty Kyoto
For everyone interested in or in love with Kyoto, I'd like to suggest you have a look at this photo book from landscape photographer Daniel Sofer. 2020 and 2021 were very special years due to the pandemic. Japan was closed and the streets and temples were deserted,...
Cooking Lessons in Kyoto
We're often asked about Japanese cooking lessons in Kyoto. I'm glad to introduce Keiko san, a cooking instructor who can provide Japanese home cooking lessons in English in her home kitchen or a rental kitchen.She offers various menu items from which you can choose....
Shinnyo-do Temple
Shinnyo-do, or as it is officially named, Shinshogokuraku-Ji or the"true temple of paradise", is a Buddhist temple of the Tendai sect located in the east of Kyoto. Being off the tourist's beaten tracks, Shinnyo-do is a great spot to enjoy beautiful fall colors in a...
Light-Ups in Autumn
Enjoy the beautiful Autumn foliage by taking advantage of the evening opening and illumination of these gardens. Here is a list of some of this year’s light ups around Kyoto, together with the dates and opening time.
Kawazu Zakura
Walking around the city near a place I used to live, I was pleasantly surprised to discover several cherry trees in full bloom in a parking lot up the street. This was the first time after the many years I passed nearby that I saw these trees. The plums are currently...
Ao Momiji – New Maple Leaves
After a beautiful cherry blossoms season, things slow down a bit and all is quiet for a while. Then, around the middle of the month of May, is the perfect time to look around the temples and the mountains for the maple trees having new leaves.
Kuromontsuki Kimono
If you walked around one of Kyoto’s Hanamachi (flower town or Geisha District), early January, you may have seen Maiko and Geiko beautifully dressed in their formal black “Kuromontsuki” kimono, and wearing a real rice stalk “kanzashi” or ornamental hairpin.
