If you plan to visit Amanohashidate (天橋立), one of the Three Views of Japan (日本三景, Nihon Sankei), between late February and early March, consider stopping by the plum blossom spots in Ayabe City on your way back to Kyoto’s city center. These spots are less known to tourists, so you won’t be pushed around when you try to enjoy the gorgeous flowers.
There are a few ways that you can travel from Amanohashidate to Ayabe. The easiest way is to take the limited express, Hashidate-gō (はしだて号), because no transfer is required. Or, you can change trains at Fukuchiyama if the timetable of Hashidate-gō doesn’t match your itinerary.
You can use the Japan Transit Planner app to plan your trip. Its timetable function shows you the train schedule for a particular day.
The Plum Blossom Spots in Ayabe City
Ayabeshi Bairin Park (綾部市梅林公園)
After enjoying the camellia in Ryōgonji Temple, head to Ayabeshi Bairin Park, which has an impressive 450 plum blossoms usually blooming from late February to late March!
Walking along the 820 meters promenade in the 15,000 square meters park at this time of the year is just breathtaking. Not only will your eyes enjoy every moment you spend in the park, but so will your nose! With so many trees, the elegant fragrance of the plum flowers becomes so strong that you might leave the park with the plum’s pleasant scent(^_-)-☆.
If you are lucky, you might catch the rare sight of the plum blossoms covered in snow!
Ayabeshi Bairin Park’s Opening Dates
Ayabeshi Bairin Park is only open to the public during the plum blossom season. Each year, a Plum Blossom Festival (うめ梅まつり) is held in mid-March from 10 am to 2 pm. In fact, the festival starts the night before the festival. The park is illuminated from sunset to 8 pm on the night, allowing visitors to adore the plum blossoms at night. From 7 pm for around 10 minutes, flowers will bloom around you in the night sky! That’s right. There will be fireworks to make your visit to Ayabeshi Bairin Park even more memorable!
- In 2024, Ayabeshi Bairin Park is open from the 16th of February to the 22nd of March.
- The Plum Blossom Festival (うめ梅まつり) was held on the 17th of March.
- The fireworks were launched on the 16th of March
Important: If you want to see the fireworks, make sure to arrive before 6:30 pm as entry will be restricted after this time until the fireworks event is finished.
How to Get to Ayabeshi Bairin Park
- From JR Ayabe Station (綾部駅), please take the Aya Bus Shiga-Namboku Line (志賀南北線) and get off at Tachi (舘). From there, it is approximately a 20-minute walk.
- From Ryōgonji Temple, it is around a 7-minute walk
Matsubara Plum Grove (和木町松原梅林)
Another plum blossom spot in Ayabe worth checking out is Matsubara Plum Grove, which is in the southeastern part of the city. Around 80 plums of different varieties are cultivated by the mist from the Yura River (由良川) and the area’s fresh air and clean water.
This part of Kyoto Prefecture has long been known as the Plum Village. The processed plum products, such as pickled plums and plum jam, that the locals make using traditional methods are popular specialties that are hard to find elsewhere. On the 2nd Sunday of March each year, the Wagi Town Plum Blossom Festival (和木町梅まつり) is held for visitors to enjoy the flowers and food.
The plum blossom season at Matsubara Plum Grove is usually from early to mid-March.
- In 2024, Matsubara Plum Grove was open from the 3rd to the 17th of March from 10 am to 3 pm.
- The Wagi Town Plum Blossom Festival (和木町梅まつり) was held on the 10th of March in 2024.
- Locally made miso paste, baked goods, Japanese sweets, and food stalls were set up on the day.
You can get some freshly harvested fruits and vegetables from Yamaga Fureai no Eki (山家ふれあいの駅), which is around a 5-minute drive from Matsubara Plum Grove. The green smoothies made with local pesticide-free kale are delicious. There are also bento boxes and grated plum udon (梅おろしうどん) prepared from the local ingredients and pickled plums. But note they aren’t vegetarian. You can, however, ask the staff to explore meat and seafood.
How to Get to Matsubara Plum Grove
- From JR Ayabe Station (綾部駅), please take the Aya Bus Kambayashi Line (上林線) and get off at Nishibarachō (西原町). Then, cross the Waki Ohashi Bridge (和木大橋) and walk south for 8 minutes.
Discover Other Plum Blossom Spots in Kyoto
Regardless the overtourism problem, Kyoto is undoubtably Japan’s most popular tourist destination. If you plan to visit Kyoto in early spring, there are several spots for you to add to your itinerary to enjoy the seasonal flower, plum blossoms! While the view created by the plum flowers may be less awe-inspiring than the cherry blossoms due to the volumes, the elegant fragrance will make your visit more pleasant.
For more information, refer to our article on The Plum Blossom Spots in Kyoto!
