[2025 Kyoto Attraction] Travel Guide for Shojuin (Updated Mar)

🌻 Shoju-in Temple is famous for its 2,000 wind chimes, which are decorated with flowers and called "flower wind chimes." The flowers in the wind chimes change with the seasons. From June 1 to early July, they are hydrangeas, from early July to August, they are sunflowers, and in September, they are cosmos. Shoju-in Temple is the only temple in Japan with a heart-shaped window, which is said to ward off disasters and bring good luck. It is one of the must-see attractions when visiting Kyoto. Address: 167 Okuyamada Kawakami, Ujitawara-cho, Kyoto Prefecture 🚃 Transportation: From JR Uji Station, take the Uji Tea Bus.

Japan's cherry blossom season is just around the corner, and here's a special spot in Kyoto to enjoy the night blossoms! Shōjuin Temple in Kyoto is home to Japan's only heart-shaped window, known as the Inome Window, which has a history of over 800 years. It symbolizes the removal of disasters and brings good fortune. Viewing cherry blossoms through this window is truly a unique experience. 📍Location: 167 Okuyamada Kawakami, Ujitawara Town, Kyoto Prefecture 🚃Transportation: Take the Uji Tea Bus from JR Uji Station to reach the temple. Dates: March 28-31, April 4-6, 2025 【Session 1】 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM 【Session 2】 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM ・Fee: 1000 yen #NightCherryBlossoms #CherryBlossomViewing #CherryBlossomSeason #KyotoTravel #ThisSeasonBelongsToCherryBlossoms #JapanCherryBlossomSeason

Last year, a guide to Japan's cherry blossoms was widely bookmarked, but due to unexpected climate conditions, the blooms did not meet expectations, and the guide wasn't fully utilized. Here are some places I visited last year, categorized into recommended, not recommended, and optional visits. 🌸Recommended Visits⛩️: Soga Riverbank (Osaka): If you're planning to visit Osaka for cherry blossom viewing, Soga Riverbank is worth a visit. It stretches about 1-2 kilometers with cherry blossoms, offering picturesque scenes alongside trains. This location is frequented mostly by locals, with few foreign tourists. Transportation is accessible via Kintetsu Bōjō Station, with about a 10-minute walk after exiting the station. Sewari-tei (Kyoto): Sewari-tei is a well-known spot that was stunning even before full bloom last year. It can be paired with Fushimi Jukkoku-bune for a day's itinerary. Ōishi Shrine (Kyoto): Last year's cherry blossom refugee situation is still vivid in my memory, but Ōishi Shrine's night cherry blossoms and Sewari-tei were saviors. It's recommended to arrive before 5 PM for night photography. You might encounter locals with Shiba Inu dogs, which make for great photos. Transportation is convenient from Kyoto Station, with buses Daigo Temple Line 301/303 going directly. ☀️Weather-dependent🌧️: Miidera (Kyoto): We visited Miidera last year during heavy rain, under a gloomy sky. Reservations are required, so it's advisable to check the weather forecast in advance. If it's sunny, it should be picturesque; if rainy, it's not worth visiting as there's nothing else nearby. Reservations can be made at Miidera Reservation. Address: 246 Onjoji-cho, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture. Reservations start on March 10, 2025, costing 3000 yen per group, up to 6 people. 🚌Other🚶‍♂️: Tsubosaka Temple (Osaka): During cherry blossom season, Tsubosaka Temple is crowded with both locals and foreign tourists. Due to traffic congestion caused by locals driving up the mountain, the bus takes 2 hours, so we walked back and forth, taking about 1 hour from Tsubosakayama Station to Tsubosaka Temple. Transportation is available via Kintetsu Tsubosakayama Station with a direct bus, and no reservation is needed. The best spot for viewing Tsubosaka Temple's Buddha requires queuing. Not Recommended: Shojuin Night Cherry Blossoms (Kyoto): The online photos of Shojuin are heavily edited, making it difficult to capture beautiful night cherry blossom photos. I joined an online tour for over 200 RMB. Departing from Kyoto around 5:30 PM, it takes over an hour to reach Shojuin. Mostly locals visit here, and no one speaks Chinese. Activities in the hall are conducted in Japanese, which left us confused. #KyotoCherryBlossoms #JapanCherryBlossoms

[Kyoto must hit a small attraction] Heart-shaped temple [Zhengshouyuan] A long time ago, I was planted on the Internet in Kyotos Zhengshouyuan. This time I went to Japan and finally successfully punched the card. I shared the Raiders for the first time. Give it to you. How to get to Zhengshouyuan Zhengshou Courtyard in Uji, Kyoto, located in the remote mountain town of Uji, the specific transportation methods are as follows: 1 From JR to JR Uji Station 2 You can take the bus after getting to Uji Station, or you can take a taxi to Zhengshouyuan public transport: Take the Kyoto Keihan bus and transfer to the bus at the "Vietnam Central" station (less frequent shifts, one After an hour, then get off at Okuyama Station for about 10 minutes. It is not recommended to take the bus, because the bus schedule is small, the time is long, and it is recommended to take a taxi. Taxi way: From JR Uji Station, it is a taxi station. From here, take a taxi to Zhengshouyuan. It is about 5,000 yen, about 300 yuan, about 30 minutes. It should be noted that it is very difficult to get back to the car in Zhengshouyuan, so it is best to let the driver wait for you, and agree with the driver to go back. The average driver is willing to wait (because it is very biased, The driver does not wait for you, he has no repeat customers haha). How to visit Zhengshouyuan Zhengshouyuan tickets is 500 yen. The temple is divided into two parts. After buying the tickets, you can go shopping on both sides and send a small snack, see Figure 8. . After visiting the temple, the next step is the heart-shaped window of the net red hut. In fact, the house is really not big, but there are not many people, and the photo is also very good, so I still recommend everyone to come.