Mount Yoshino
Mount Yoshino, The Cherry Blossom Mountain Of Nara, With About Thirty Thousand Trees Climbing The Slope In Four Levels That Bloom From The Lower To The Upper In April, And A Long History Of Temples And Mountain Ascetics. A Spring Only Crowd. · Yoshino, Nara
Mount Yoshino is a long ridge in southern Nara prefecture, about 90 minutes from Osaka on the Kintetsu line to Yoshino Station, famous for tens of thousands of cherry trees, often given as about 30,000. They are planted in four groves, Shimo, Naka, Kami and Oku Senbon, and bloom from the lower slope to the upper through April, so the pink wave climbs the mountain over two weeks or more. The ridge is also an old pilgrim and mountain ascetic centre. Kinpusen-ji temple, with its huge wooden hall, stands on the main path, and the Yoshino and Omine area is part of the UNESCO Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range. It suits walkers, photographers and anyone who wants blossom without a city park crowd, but it is mostly a spring trip. Allow a full day. It is worth the detour in April, and in autumn colour for a quieter visit. It is hard going in peak blossom, when the narrow road and the paths are packed. Koyasan and Kumano Kodo are separate stops.
Yoshinoyama, Yoshino, Yoshino District, Nara, reached by the Yoshino ropeway from Yoshino Station on the Kintetsu line, Yoshino, Nara, Japan
The mountain paths are open at all hours, but shops, temples and tea houses keep daytime hours, usually closing around 16:30-17:00, so plan to be walking down by late afternoon. Kinpusen-ji opens in the daytime with a fee for the main hall, and its secret images are shown only in set seasons - confirm dates. The Yoshino Ropeway from Yoshino Station to the lower slope runs on a short daytime schedule and pauses in strong wind - confirm times. From Osaka take the Kintetsu line, about 90 minutes with one change; IC cards work on trains, but cash is needed on the mountain. In blossom season, buses and the road are restricted and trains are full, so leave early and book nothing except a bed if staying over.