Kyoto Botanical Gardens

The Kyoto Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City. It first opened in 1924 as the "Taiden Commemorative Kyoto Botanical Garden," making it Japan’s first botanical garden. Covering a total area of 240,000 square meters, it is home to about 12,000 plant species. Located immediately west of Kitayama Station, you enter through the Kitayama Gate along Kitayama Street and pass through plum and cherry groves to reach one of Japan’s largest conservatories, where tropical plants are planted and displayed by themed zones. North of the conservatory, the Nakaragi Forest is the only natural woodland within the garden, preserving the vegetation of the Yamashiro Basin. The garden also features extensive collections such as a camellia garden, an iris garden, and a bamboo and sasa garden, making it a botanical destination that feels uniquely suited to Kyoto. Through the seasons, visitors can enjoy a wide range of plants, including plum blossoms and Adonis in early spring, cherry blossoms in April, peonies, satsuki azaleas, roses, and hydrangeas in early summer, water lilies and sunflowers in summer, cosmos and fragrant osmanthus in autumn, and sasanqua camellias and ornamental cabbages in winter. Light-up illuminations are also held during the cherry blossom season in spring and the autumn foliage season.