"Cherry Blossom Blizzard" — A Romantic Scene You Have to Be Lucky to Witness, with Petals Carpeting the Ground

Text and photos byRight Upper 45-Degree Angle Girl

Today, let’s talk about a very special cherry blossom viewing spot: Kyoto’s urban area 【Ubai-in】. Its location is very close to 【Kyoto - Urban Area】Nishijin Chounourou, just a 2-minute walk away, making it perfect to include in your cherry blossom itinerary.

Ubai-in is tucked away in a small alley, with an unassuming sign at the entrance.

Next to it are residential houses, but the walls made of roof tiles are quite unique. Even before entering Ubai-in, you can already see blooming cherry blossoms peeking out to greet you.

The shrine entrance is very simple, but the red lanterns hanging there are particularly eye-catching.

By the time I arrived, it was already the season of "cherry blossom blizzards." Ubai-in is small, and the cherry trees are densely planted. When the wind blows, the petals fall like a flurry of snow—it was truly the most beautiful cherry blossom blizzard I’ve ever seen in my life.

In addition to the typical pink cherry blossoms, there are also some very unique yellow-green ones planted at the entrance: 【Giohyo】—don’t mistake them for not being cherry blossoms and miss them.

Looking up, the dense cherry blossoms almost block out the sky—it’s truly stunning.

The fallen petals on the ground form a pink carpet, and it’s almost impossible not to step on them. You walk carefully and lightly, afraid of hurting them...

The main hall and torii gate are very close to each other—I think it’s because Ubai-in is really that small...

Ubai-in was built by the monk Kobo Daishi Kukai and is also known as 【Nishijin Shoden Palace】. The grounds are filled with various types of cherry blossoms, including Giohyo, Kanhizakura, Kannonzakura, and Matsuyama Zakura, making it one of Kyoto’s famous cherry blossom spots.

In addition to the light yellow-green Giohyo mentioned earlier, Kanhizakura is the same type of double-petal cherry blossom as those found at the World Heritage Site Ninnaji Temple. The variety of cherry blossoms in this photo doesn’t seem to be one of the four mentioned.

Kanhizakura, with its pale pink color and double layers of petals, is distinctly different from the single-petal ones we saw earlier.

Matsuyama Zakura, with its double-petal blossoms, is much more ornate than single-petal ones, but single-petal cherry blossoms have a delicate and slender beauty, offering a different kind of elegance.

Besides cherry blossoms, there are also several camellia flowers in bloom, but almost all the camera lenses are focused on the cherry blossoms.

The current Ubai-in was once abandoned but was rebuilt around the year 1580. The main hall enshrines the six-armed deity of Shoden (Kangiten), who was prayed to for the recovery of Emperor Saga’s illness. The Kannon Hall houses the Thousand-Armed Kannon, which is a designated Important Cultural Property of Japan.

There is a famous well within the shrine grounds called “Someiden-no-I,” which is a natural spring that emerged during Kyoto’s water shortages. Fabric dyed with water from this well is said to turn out particularly beautiful.

On the day Right Upper 45-Degree Angle Girl visited, there was a very cute Japanese child who caught the falling cherry blossoms and joyfully scattered them again—it was the most beautiful scene.

【Ubai-in】 (Nishijin Shoden Palace)
http://kyoto-design.jp/spot/3007
3 [Address with unclear characters] Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City
Phone: 075-441-8678
Visiting Hours: 9:00–17:00
Closed: Open year-round
Admission: Free
Directions: Take bus 51, 59, 201, or 203 to “Imadegawa Fukuji” and walk 5 minutes to reach the site
 

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