The spots in Kyoto with the best spring greenery

Tofuku-ji Temple is one of the most famous sightseeing spots in Kyoto. The way the Tsuten Bridge stands out from amidst the green maple leaves is spectacular.

When it is time for autumn leaves, the temple of Tofuku-ji is almost overcrowded with tourists, but if you go to see the spring greenery you can see them at your own pace and relax without having to worry about the crowds.

Nanzen-ji Temple is famous for the retro-feeling Suiro-kaku aqueduct and the huge Sanmon Gate. After the end of the cherry blossom season, the maple trees on the temple grounds all turn to vivid greens and signal the coming of summer. The grounds of Nanzen-ji Temple are really vast and spacious, and there are really many trees planted on it, so you can feel like you were surrounded by maple trees. The temple is a famous sightseeing spot, but there are not that many people this season.

Eikan-do Temple is so famous for its maples that it is sometimes called “Eikan-do of the maples,” so of course it is also really beautiful during the spring greenery season. This famous temple had around 3,000 maple trees on its premises, and looking at these and the temple buildings together is something very enjoyable, and Eikan-do can be easily accessed from Nanzen-ji Temple, so I would like to recommend you go to both of them.

Honen-in is a small temple just by Ginkaku-ji Temple. This temple is not that famous, but the thatched roofs of its buildings and the white sand of its rock gardens, contrasted with the almost sparkling vivid green of maple leaves is something I wish everyone would get to see.

Lastly, we have a temple that offers a way of enjoying the maple leaves that is a bit out of ordinary. The way that the green maple leaves of Jisso-in Temple are reflected on the black floor of the temple is something truly breathtaking. (Please note that taking pictures of this room is forbidden at the temple.)