DATE:		Opening of Plum Garden: Beginning of February – End of March Baika-sai Festival: February 25, 2006 from 10:00a.m. for approx. 50 minutes at the Hon-den Hall Tea Ceremony: February 25,2006 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Sankou-mon Gate West Square
PLACE:		Kitano Temman-gu Shrine Bakuro-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto
DIRECTION:		Bus stop at Kitano Temmangu-mae (city bus #50, 101)
TEL:		81-75-461-0005
ADMISSION:		Plum Garden: Adults – 500 yen (junior high school students and above) Children – 250 yen * Both include service of plum tea and sweets * Group of 30 people and more – 10% discount (except on the 25th, Sundays and holidays) Tea Ceremony: 1,500 yen (including three tickets: tea, admission to the Houmotsu-den Hall and a small offering) * Tickets are distributed from January 25th (one free ticket for 10) * 3,000 tickets only, first-come-first served basis
TEXT:		The Baika-sai Festival (Plum Festival) is held on the death anniversary of the shrine’s god, Sugawara-no-michizane, with its approximately 900 years of history. On this day, besides this plum festival, a tea ceremony is performed by geisha and maiko (apprentice geisha) from the Kamishichiken quarter to welcome a number of visitors. This is also a festival to announce the coming of spring. On the shrine’s grounds of approximately 66,000 m2, visitors can enjoy viewing 2,000 green plum trees with 50 different kinds (1,000 within the gate and 1,000 in the garden).