The Keage Incline is a 582-metre disused funicular railway track in eastern Kyoto that served the Lake Biwa Canal system during the Meiji era, and it is now celebrated as one of Kyoto's most photogenic cherry blossom corridors. During early April, approximately 90 weeping and Somei Yoshino cherry trees planted along the old rail tracks form an immersive tunnel of pale pink blossoms overhead. The idle iron trolleys left on the tracks provide an evocative industrial-historical contrast with the delicate flowers, and photographers line the track from dawn to dusk. The incline's proximity to Nanzen-ji temple and the Okazaki canal makes it easy to combine into a half-day spring walking itinerary.
- Type
- Experience
- Category
- Cherry Blossom
- Season
- Spring
- Month
- Early–Mid April
- Region
- Kansai
- Prefecture
- Kyoto
- City
- Kyoto
Highlights
- ◆90 cherry trees forming a full overhead blossom canopy
- ◆Historic Meiji-era rail trolleys as unique photogenic props
- ◆Steps from Nanzen-ji and the Okazaki canal for extended walks
- ◆Dawn visits reward with mist and soft light photography
- ◆Accessible via Keage Station on the Tozai subway line