30,000 cherry trees on 4 levels over 8 km: they bloom in stages, from the valley floor to the summit.
A ridge of about 8 km leads through four bands (Shimo-senbon, Naka-senbon, Kami-senbon, Oku-senbon) that bloom in succession from the bottom upwards, so the blossom stays visible for about a month instead of a single week. About 30,000 cherry trees of 200 different varieties (80% of them Shirayamazakura, the white mountain cherry) cover the mountain: tradition links them to the vow of En no Gyōja, the founder of Shugendō, who carved his image of Zaō Gongen into a cherry trunk and made it the sacred tree of the site. The Zaō-dō of Kinpusen-ji, the second-largest wooden Buddhist hall in Japan after the Daibutsuden in Nara, is a National Treasure.
Mount Yoshino, in Nara Prefecture, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2004 as part of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range, together with Kōyasan and Kumano. Within the protected area are four designated buildings: the Zaō-dō hall of Kinpusen-ji, Yoshimizu Shrine, Yoshino Mizuwake Shrine and Kinpu Shrine.
ℹ️ The Yoshino Ropeway runs from 20 March to 6 May, 500 yen adults/250 yen children (cash). Nara Kōtsū shuttle bus from the station to Naka-senbon, 500 yen; a dedicated bus to Oku-senbon in the same period. The Zaō-dō of Kinpusen-ji has its own hours and fees, not read in this pass: declared as a gap.
🚉 Yoshino · 10 min walk
Holidays in Japan? Plan them with us.Over 2,000 real places, a day-by-day itinerary.FreeOpen the map →Sources: yoshinoyama-kankou.com · yoshinoyama-kankou.com · kinpusen.or.jp
Nearby
Kinpusen-ji600 mphoto by くろふね · CC BY 3.0
Takatori Castle6.9 kmphoto by ys1979 · CC BY 3.0
Tanzan Jinja10.4 kmphoto by Yanajin33 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Ishibutai Tumulus10.8 kmphoto by 663highland · CC BY 2.5