Autumn leaves in Jakkoin, Kyoto

Last weekend, my mother and I went to Kyoto by Shinkansen. We left JR Hamamatsu Station at 7:49. The train was full of people as it was the best season to see autumn leaves. At first, we couldn’t have seats but managed to find ones when some passengers got off the train at Mikawa Anjo in Aichi Prefecture. After arriving at Kyoto at 9:37, we bought a one-day pass respectively that provides unlimited number of rides on the subway and three kinds of buses.

Kyoto have many famous spots for autumn leaves viewing. This time, we were going to Ohara that is a bit distant from the downtown. Usually it takes about 60 minutes to get there by bus, but we took the subway to Kokusai Kaikan (last station) and then the bus to Ohara. They increased the number of buses to Ohara during the autumn leaves season. We could take the bus soon and have seats. However, it took longer than usual to get to Ohara because the roads were crowded.

Bus stop in fromt of Kokusai Kaikan Station

Ohara is a mountainous rural area in Kyoto. Our main destination is Jakkoin, one of the famous temples in Ohara. On our way there, we enjoy a view of old-style houses surrounded by beautiful nature.

It was a little over 11:00, and we had lunch in Tamba Chaya. Though their lunch sets weren’t vegetarian because they used dried bonito broth for the main dishes such as buckwheat noodles, they included several kinds of local pickles. People in this area cultivate some vegetables that are a little different from those in Hamamatsu. They were growing very well.

Jakkoin is a very old temple that is said to have been built in 594. If you search with “Jakkoin Temple”, you can find some explanations of its long history, especially about Kenreimon-in who was the mother of Emperor Antoku. She became a nun after her clan Heike was destroyed in the Battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185. In this temple, she consoled the spirits of the people in the Heike clan, including her son Emperor Antoku who passed away during the battle at the age of six. Apart from the historical events, I thought Jakkoin is a temple worth visiting. My mother first visited there more than 50 years ago but still remembered the beautiful autumn leaves that covered the stairs to the temple. This time, we couldn’t have such a view, however, their garden was still impressive to see. According to the map, the building over there is a tea ceremony room.

We climbed up further to go to the main building.

From the stairs, we could see fallen leaves on the green moss on the roofs (one of them is that of the entrance of the garden).

This is the main building. The autumn leaves behind it were so beautiful. We got inside and heard about the history of the temple.

This is the Belfry of Shogyo Mujo. It is a Buddhist word used at the beginning of the Tale of the Heike, meaning “all things must pass.”

I highly recommend vising Jakkoin at this time of year if you come to Kyoto and have time. Although it was one of the best seasons to visit Kyoto, there weren’t many people on the road to Jakkoin. You can soak up in the tranquility and beauty of the nature.

In addition, they have traditional pickles called shibazuke. They are one of the three popular kinds of pickles in Kyoto. The ones I got from my mother are made of traditional ingredients only: eggplant, red perilla, Japanese ginger, and salt. According to a legend, people in Ohara presented these pickles to Kenreimon-in in Jakkoin. She liked it very much and named them shibazuke (shiba (紫葉) means a purple leaf). This pack was sold in a shop on our way to Sanzen-in, another famous temple in Ohara. I found these pickles very sour, almost as sour as a pickled plum for which red perilla is also used.

Even now, red perilla is a specialty of Ohara. Tamba Chaya near Jakkoin have juice made from red perilla they cultivate by themselves. I regret a little not to have ordered and tasted it. It may be as good as shibazuke though it may be much sweeter than the pickles.