January	February	March
Early Showa Period Spectacular red apricot blossoms at Kitano Tenman Shrine. This is also a time when students preparing for university entrance examinations come to pay tribute to the god of scholarship.	Narayai (yam and kinton [mashed sweet potatoes with sweetened chestnuts]) Heisei Period Setsubun Festival to celebrate the lunar New Year, Chasing out the demons at Yoshida Shrine.	Joshi (uiro [sweet jelly] and kinton [mashed sweet potatoes with sweetened chestnuts]üj Late Edo Period Plum blossom season. The Doll Festival. At Kyoto Doll Festivals, the doll stage is decorated with hichigiri (pulled tufts of mochi) shaped like the crown worn by the dolls. The upper kinton depicts the right-side cherry blossoms and left-side mikan (mandarin orange) tree.
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April	May
Yamawarauüikinton [mashed sweet potatoes with sweetened chestnuts]üj Late Edo Period Mountains full of cherry blossoms in full bloom: Famous sites in Kyoto include Arashiyama, Omuro, and Daigo.	Naotakeüiuiro [sweet jelly]üj Early Showa Period Irises. Believed since ancient times to ward off evil, irises are placed on house eaves during the Children's Day Festival and are put in the bath water while bathing. Especially captivating are the irises of Ota Shrine, in the Kamigamo area of Kyoto.
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