Kyoto is a prime tourist destination as it captures the more traditional side of Japan. Aside from the usual tourist destinations in Kyoto such as the Shinto Shrine and Kinkaku-Ji Temple, Kyoto is also known for its beautiful and blossoming Kyoto Botanical Gardens!
Table of Contents
- All About Kyoto Botanical Garden
- Beautiful Blossoms in Kyoto Botanical Gardens
- Access to Kyoto Botanical Gardens
- Summary
All About Kyoto Botanical Garden
The Kyoto Botanical Gardens, with the Japanese name Kyoto Furitsu Shokubutsuen, was founded in 1917 and publicly opened in 1924 with the initial name of “Taisho Memorial Kyoto Botanical Garden”. People were restricted from accessing the place after World War II because it was overrun by the Allied Forces but was reopened in 1961. This is the oldest public garden in the country where tourists may immerse themselves in its rich ecosystem and feel the garden’s spirit of serenity.
※ Kyoto Prefecture Website, "History of Kyoto Prefectural Botanical Garden" ※ Kyoto Prefecture Website, "Parks and Botanical Gardens: Botanical Garden"
The different sections in the Gardens are distinguished by the following:
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The plants thriving in those particular areas like the Camellia Garden, Cherry Trees, Japanese Iris Garden, Japanese Native Plants, Hydrangea Garden, Ume (Japanese Plum) Grove, Peony Garden, Bamboo Garden, Bonsai Exhibit, Lotus Pond, Nakaragi-no-mori Pond, and Perennial and Useful Plants Garden; and
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The style or landscape of the area like the European Style Garden and Sunken Garden.
Foreign tourists need not worry about getting lost since maps are available in the English language (and Chinese) provided at the entrance and tourist-friendly posters to guide the way. There are multiple seats available in different areas where visitors can rest and breathe in the freshness brought by the environment. Tourists may opt to visit the cafe, souvenir shop, and playground located within the garden.
Writer's Pick
Beautiful Blossoms in Kyoto Botanical Gardens
European-Style, Rose and Sunken Garden
As above-mentioned, the Gardens is known for a variety of floras. The European-Style Garden, Rose Garden, and Sunken Garden are located on the right side of the entrance. Tourists may appreciate three-hundred kinds of roses and azaleas during spring in the European-Style Garden. If you wish to see more roses, you will definitely enjoy the Rose Garden. The roses have whimsical names like La Vie en Rose, Ehigasa, Lavender Dream, and Siesta to name a few. The Sunken Garden showcases a waterfall in a sloped garden surrounded by mushroom-like bushes.
Bonsai, Camellia and Hydrangea Garden
If you are interested in seeing the famous Japanese trees, Kyoto Botanical Gardens also has an extensive collection of interesting bonsai specimens lined up on tables. Another is the Camellia Garden, a section where different camellias like Camellia japonica and Camellia sasanqua are planted. Hydrangea Garden exhibits the "celestial bliss of hydrangea" - the plants are fond of water, thereby making them flourish in the rainy season. The plant is also known as Popcorn, A Gathering of Blue, Seven Transformations, and Kaleidoscope. If cherry blossoms are not in season, tourists may enjoy the equally beautiful hydrangeas around June!
Glasshouse Garden
Past the Sunken Garden are the Bamboo Collection, Peony Garden, and Iris Laevigata Garden. The Conservatory, a glass greenhouse, is strategically located on the main avenue's left side. It is humid inside to cultivate tropical plants like fruit trees, mountain plants, different kinds of carnivorous plants, and desert plants, among others.
By now, it is perceptible that Kyoto Botanical Gardens accommodate unique plants and flowers. In spring, 500 sakura trees display their beauty, especially at night when they are illuminated for the locals and tourists to enjoy. There is also the elegant Japanese iris, also known as Iris ensata, with similar features as orchid flowers, only ruffled in form. It blooms from early to mid-summer. Worth mentioning as well are the other varieties of roses like Moon Sprite Rose, Princess Michiko, and Nishiki-e you can find at the Kyoto Botanical Gardens.
Access to Kyoto Botanical Gardens
Hours
This garden is located in Sakyo-ku, and is usually open from 9 AM to 5 PM, with the 4 PM as the last entry time. In July, when the lotuses bloom fully in the morning, it opens at 7 AM. The garden's greenhouses open at 10 AM and close at 4 PM, with the last entry at 3:30 PM. Please take note that it is closed from December 28 to January 4.
Fees and admission rates
The entrance fee is actually cheap-- it’s a mere 200 yen for adults, which allows multiple entries in one day. It is affordable for high school, elementary, and junior high school students, with only 150 yen and 80 yen entrance fees. The greenhouse has a separate fee, with the same amount as the overall entrance fee. You may opt to avail of the annual pass with unlimited entry throughout the year, which costs only 1,000 yen.
How to get there
There are different means to reach this destination. You may go to this place by taking a subway from Kyoto to Kitayama Subway Station. You may also ride a bus from Demachiyanagi Station bound for Shizuhara or Ichihara - and make sure to get off at Shokubutsuen-mae. Another option is to walk to the Gardens from Kitaoji Station for about ten minutes. When exploring the place using your own vehicle, you may go through the north entrance at Kitayama Subway Station, where you can park your bicycle, or the southern entrance where you can park your car.
※ Kyoto Prefecture Website, "Parks and Botanical Gardens: Botanical Garden"
Best time and season to visit
The place is worth exploring any time of the year, but the peak of visits is usually during spring and autumn. The vivid shades of chrysanthemums and moss are in display during autumn. This is one of the many places in Kyoto where tourists can enjoy the beauty of cherry blossoms and the colors of autumn.
On the other hand, when you visit the garden mid-June or during the rainy season, you will find different kinds of hydrangea blooming happily in flora and fauna. During summer, Russian sunflowers beam bright yellow color in contrast with the greeneries surrounding it, worth checking too! Also, blooming lilies and lotuses floating on the pond close to the conservatory are a good sight to visit to see during this time.
People spend an average time of one hour and thirty minutes exploring the Kyoto Botanical Gardens. Before or after visiting the Gardens, one may opt to go to nearby tourist spots like Arashiyama, Kifune Shrine, Nijo Castle, Tôji Temple, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, and so on.
Summary
Visiting the garden is the perfect place for relaxing your mind or exploration with friends, families, and loved ones. Read a novel, have sunbathing, take a nap, or go on a picnic! Follow your sense of discovery and go where your feet will take you. The Kyoto Botanical Gardens is definitely the place for insta-worthy images and experience while in Japan.
