Daigoji Temple Cherry Blossom Parade (Hotaiko Hanami Gyoretsu), Kyoto

Held at Daigoji on the second Sunday of April, this procession recreates the Daigo no Hanami, the cherry-blossom party Toyotomi Hideyoshi threw at the temple in 1598. A party in period costume, dressed as Hideyoshi and his household, leaves the Karamon Gate of Sanbo-in, walks along the Sakura-no-Baba avenue and, in front of the Golden Hall, watches poetry, kyogen, dance and a short play by the Toei film studio before returning to Sanbo-in. Called "Daigo of the blossoms" since the Heian period, the temple sees its weeping, Somei-yoshino, mountain and double-flowered cherries bloom one after another; on the day of the 2019 procession the mountain and double cherries were in full bloom. A good choice if you want to follow the story of Hideyoshi's famous party among the temple's cherry trees. The 2026 parade was cancelled, and Daigo-ji has not yet announced whether it will be held in 2027.

In the spring of 1598, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the warlord who unified Japan, had 700 cherry trees brought in from the surrounding Kinai region, built the Sanbo-in buildings and garden, and held a grand blossom-viewing banquet at Daigoji. His son Hideyori, his wife Kita-no-Mandokoro, his consorts Yodo and San-no-maru and some 1,300 ladies of the household are said to have taken part. The procession follows that story: costumed figures of Hideyoshi and his party walk through the grounds and watch performances in front of the Golden Hall, and in 2019 and 2023 the role of Hideyoshi went to a guest from the business world. Visitors can watch from the paid special seats set up near the stage.