Plum Blossoms in Japan 2026: 5 Best Spots in Osaka, Kyoto, Nara & Mie

• Table of Contents
• Enjoy deer and plum blossoms at Nara
• Just a short walk from the station! Domyoji Tenmangu Shrine
• Osaka is easily accessible from urban areas
• The expansive plum blossoms are a must-see! Nabana no Sato
• Kitano Tenmangu Shrine: Pray for academic success and enjoy the plum blossoms
• If you want to visit a wide range of plum blossom spots, we also recommend the Kintetsu Rail Pass!

Enjoy deer and plum blossoms at Nara

Nara is about 40 minutes from the center of Osaka by Kintetsu train! Surprisingly close, Nara has many tourist attractions. Nara Park is dotted with the world heritage sites of Kasuga Taisha Shrine, Kofuku-ji Temple, and Todai-ji Temple. Kataoka Plum Grove is known as a famous plum blossom spot. Around Marumadotei, which features a circular window, about 260 red and white plum blossoms bloom.

[Best time to see] Late February to late March

[Access] About 15 minutes walk from Nara Station, then about 5 minutes by Nara bus from Nara Station, get off at Kasuga Omotesando

Nara Park

〒630-8212 Kasuganocho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture

Nara Park is a representative tourist spot in Nara, with approximately 1,300 deer living in its vast grounds. Historical buildings such as Todaiji Temple, Kofukuji Temple, and Kasuga Taisha Shrine are dotted around the park, and you can enjoy the scenery throughout the seasons. It is an attractive spot for interacting with the deer and enjoying the beautiful nature.

For more information about Nara Park, click here

Just a short walk from the station! Domyoji Tenmangu Shrine

Behind the shrine is a plum garden. There are about 800 plum trees of 80 varieties planted in the garden, and a plum festival is held every year from February to March. You can feel the nature.

[Best time to see] Mid-February to early March

[Access] 3 minutes walk from Domyoji Station

For more information about the Domyoji Plum Festival, click here

Osaka is easily accessible from urban areas

On the east side of the inner moat of Osaka Castle, over 1,200 plum trees of about 100 varieties are planted in an area of about 1.7 hectares. Because there are so many varieties, the flowers bloom in sequence, allowing you to enjoy viewing the plum blossoms over a long period of time. You can see the Osaka Castle tower through the plum grove.

[Best time to see] Early February to early March

[Access] From Tsuruhashi Station, get off at JR Morinomiya Station and walk for about 15 minutes. From Tsuruhashi Station, get off at JR Osaka Station and walk for about 15 minutes.

Osaka Castle Park

540-0002 1 Osaka Castle, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

Osaka Castle Park is a beautiful park centered around the historic Osaka Castle. Osaka Castle is known as one of Japan's three greatest castles, and its castle tower has been restored and is open to tourists as a museum. Inside the park, there are stone walls and historical buildings that retain the atmosphere of the Edo period, allowing visitors to enjoy a leisurely stroll through history. Especially during the cherry blossom season, the entire park is filled with blooming cherry blossoms, and you can enjoy the beauty of the cherry blossoms reflected in the moat. Osaka Castle Park, where history and nature are in harmony, offers visitors a peaceful and quaint moment.

For more information on the plum grove in Osaka Castle Park, click here

The expansive plum blossoms are a must-see! Nabana no Sato

The Plum Garden is filled with the faintly sweet fragrance of plums. The 10,000m2 plum garden is home to approximately 330 weeping plum trees, which bloom in vibrant colors in early spring. Some of the trees are over 100 years old, and their beauty is particularly eye-catching. Many native Japanese bush warblers are also attracted by the plums. Please come and see the vibrant colors of the weeping plum trees.

If you enter the path in the plum garden, you can stroll among the flowers. The scent of plums fills the air, and it is said that the scent is especially strong at night. Please enjoy viewing the plum blossoms at night.

[Best time to see] Plum blossoms: Early February to early March / Weeping plum blossoms: Around February 20th to mid-March

[Access] Kintetsu Nagoya Station → Meitetsu bus for about 30 minutes, get off at Nabana no Sato stop

Nabana no Sato

270 Urushibata, Komae, Nagashima-cho, Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture 511-...

Nabana no Sato is a flower park where you can enjoy seasonal flowers and illuminations, located about 30 minutes by direct bus from Nagoya.

For details on plum viewing at Nabana no Sato, click here

Kitano Tenmangu Shrine: Pray for academic success and enjoy the plum blossoms

Approximately 1,500 plum trees of about 50 varieties bloom in the plum garden, which covers an area of about 67,000 square meters. The plum garden, "Flower Garden," opens to the public in early February. The garden is usually open from early February to late March, and walking paths wind their way through the colorful blooming plum trees, including white plums, red plums, single-petaled plums, and double-petaled plums, and a newly built observation deck offers a 360-degree view of the plum garden. There is also a teahouse where you can take a break and enjoy tea and sweets. Many people come to see the plums every year.

[Best time to see] Early February to late March

[Access] Takeda Station → Kyoto Subway Imadegawa Station → Kyoto City Bus for about 10 minutes, get off at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine stop

Kyoto Station → Kyoto Subway Imadegawa Station → Kyoto City Bus for about 10 minutes, get off at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine.

Kitano Tenmangu Shrine

602-8386 Bakuro-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture

Kitano Tenmangu Shrine is the head shrine of Tenmangu Shrines, dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, who is famous as the god of learning. It is a sacred place for academic success, where students preparing for entrance exams and people taking qualification exams often come to pray for success. There is also Momiji Garden, where about 300 maple trees are lined up along the river.

Kitano Tenmangu Shrine's website

If you want to visit a wide range of plum blossom spots, we also recommend the Kintetsu Rail Pass!

There are many famous plum blossom viewing spots that you can reach from Osaka on a day trip! Why not go and experience the coming of spring?

If you are planning to visit Osaka, Kyoto, or Nara, the Kintetsu Rail Pass 2-day is very convenient for foreign visitors to Japan.

Purchase the "Kintetsu Rail Pass" for convenient sightseeing in Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara