WHERE TO SEE CHERRY BLOSSOMS IN OSAKA, NARA & KYOTO

My first time visiting Japan was exactly two years ago for my 30th birthday and it was one of the best experiences I had! I truly fell in love with the Japanese culture, history, and cuisine. One of the many reasons why I’m excited to announce my partnership with All Nippon Airlines (ANA) and their Experience Class campaign, is their amazing service and direct flights from the West Coast! It was my first business class experience from LAX to Narita Airport in Tokyo with a domestic flight to Itami Airport in Osaka.

HOW TO GET TO JAPAN

All Nippon Airlines is Japan’s only five-star airline and I’m happy to report that it’s truly an experience I would not forget and focuses on luxury experience throughout the journey. During the 12 hour flight from LAX to Tokyo the staff catered to my needs every step of the way. I was welcomed onto my flight with a warm greeting, and special welcome drink of orange juice and champagne. The seats were large, comfortable and had amazing entertainment with some of the newest movies on flight.

The most impressive feature is the selection of food! The menu had some of the best wines, the meals were fresh and it’s one of the best meals I’ve had in awhile. My favorite was the snack section which had Ippudo Ramen! My eyes lit up when I read it on the menu, I mentioned this to my flight attendant. She made sure to save me a bowl and reminded me to have the ramen before we landed. Yes – it was delicious!

From Tokyo, I quickly flew on a 1 hour flight from Tokyo to Osaka. Once I arrived in Osaka, a familiar city I’ve fallen in love with I immediately checked into my hotel and started my day. Cherry blossom season is from late March to mid-April. I visited late March and the cherry blossoms were only starting to bloom but I made sure to find all the popular locations. So here’s a list of where to see cherry blossoms in Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto.

OSAKA

Osaka Castle: The best place to see the cherry blossoms in Osaka is at the Osaka Castle. Unfortunately, I did not see many here as they were only starting to bloom but if you come at the right time it’s one of the prettiest places to capture the flowers in full bloom around the castle
Kema Sakuranomiya Park: Has wide lawns for picnicking and a riverside promenade
Umeda Sky Building: Even though there are no cherry blossoms here, I recommend making a visit to the top for the best panoramic view of the city

NARA

Nara Park: A must visit if you’re staying in Osaka or Kyoto which is roughly an hour by train. The park is known for the many deer’s roaming the park and it’s one of the coolest experiences! There’s plenty of cherry blossoms around the park and behind the park is Wakakusayama a grass-covered hill with cherry blossoms
Heijo Palace: A great place for a picnic
Koriyama Castle Ruins: Mostly in ruins now but makes for a great place to view the cherry blossoms

KYOTO

Maruyama-koen Park: One of the most popular parks in Kyoto. I dressed up as a geisha for the day and explored the park and found some of the prettiest cherry blossoms starting to bloom
Heian Shrine & Okazaki Canal: Beautiful cherry blossoms along the canal
Arashiyama: This area is great for cherry blossoms as it also has some of the most popular tourist attractions; Tenryu-ji Temple, Bamboo Grooves and the Iwatayama Monkey Park
Toji Temple: Enjoy cherry blossoms around the stunning five-story pagoda
Kiyomizu-dera Temple: One of my favorite temples to watch the sunset and has many large cherry blossom trees surrounding the area
Philosopher’s Path: A must visit during cherry blossom season as more than 500 cherry blossoms bloom along the path
Kinkaku-ji Temple: The beautiful golden temple covered in gold leaf is worth a visit!
Hokanji Temple: An area with lots of street vendors and cherry blossoms growing around each corner
Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine: It may not have many cherry blossoms but it’s known for its famous orange tori gates and a must visit when in Kyoto!

There is so much more to see and do every time I visit this beautiful country and I love it more every time. I know I’ll be back and I cannot wait to explore new areas of Japan! Thank you again to my friends at All Nippon Airlines for sending me to the Kansai Region to experience the ANA Experience Class and allowing me to discover new destinations.