KYOTO【 KIYAMACHI 】 : Cherry Blossom Viewing in the downtown area
You can enjoy Cherry Blossom Viewing on KIYAMACHI - dori (street) in the downtown area.
Where is KIYAMACHI ?
KIYAMACHI is a narrow alley runnning from Shijo-dori to Sanjo-dori next to *Pontocho Area. It's located near Shinkyogoku / Teramachi Kyogoku Shopping Arcade and *NIshiki Market, so you can drop in KIYAMACHI before or after shopping.
Nearest stations are Kawaramachi (Hankyu line) and Gion Shijo (Keihan line).
*Pontocho : a dining area packed with a wide range of restaurands (from inexpensive ones to super expensive ones)
*Nishiki Market : known as 'Kyoto's Kitchen' with full of shops and restaurants where you can find a wide varitey of Kyoto-ish things.
How can you enjoy *Hanami in KIYAMACHI ?
You can walk along a canal (Takase River) lined with cherry trees. It's a bit crowded near Shijo-dori, but if you keep walking up the alley, it'll become relatively quiet. There are small bridges across the canal, where you can take beautiful pictures.
*Hanami- means 'cherry blossom viewing' in Japanese. 'Hana' means 'flower / blossom' and 'mi' means ' see / view'.
There are some cafes along the alley. Some chairs and benches are placed outside of TRAVELING COFFEE . If you buy a drink at the cafe, you can use one of them. Enjoy your drink, giving your feet a rest and viewing cherry trees in bloom.
You also can take a close-up shot too :)
Can you see a light in the picture above? Cherry trees are illuminated at night, so it may be a good idea to come to KIYAMACHI to enjoy a romantic atmosphere after having dinner in Pontocho area.
'yozakura' is totally romantic. yozakura=夜桜. ' yo（夜）' means 'night' and 'zakura(sakura)桜' means 'cherry blossoms'
