A temple on the hillside, famous for the successive blooming of various types of flowers.

Mimuroto-ji（三室戸寺） is a Buddhist temple, located in the southern-east city of Uji in Kyoto. The temple is founded by The Emperor Konin in 770, and the tenth of the 33 Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage in Kansai.

Mimuroto-ji Temple is a place to absorb the peace and enjoy a historic site away from the crowds. Having said that, you’d miss the flowers! Japan is famous for its spring carpet of cherry blossom and autumnal red leaves. Less well known are the hydrangeas. Mimuroto-ji is well known for its beautiful hydrangeas.

A wonderful flower garden covers the foothills from the entrance and continues to the temple building. From the end of Feb to March, 250 red and white weeping plum trees will be in full bloom on the hillside orchid. From April to May, more than 20,000 azaleas, a thousand of rhododendrons as well as 10,000 hydrangeas bloom successively. The main path goes straight to a steep stairway to the top of the hill where the main hall is.

Up the steps beyond the garden, you’ll find three stone statues: Ukajin, a half-man, half-snake deity whom you rub for luck; an ox into whose mouth you place you hands to hope that your plans will work out, and a rabbit. You put your hands inside the two holes in front of the rabbit and try to stand up an egg-shaped object. The slow-moving line of people behind the statue attests to the difficulty of this task!

The main temple looks very attractive at the moment as the lotus flowers around the main temple are just starting to open. After admiring these flowers, follow the path to the right and you’ll find a lovely three-storied pagoda hidden among the trees.

mimuroto-ji pagoda — ● The three-storied pagoda

Mimuroto-ji Temple（三室戸寺）

Address : Shigatani-21 Todo, Uji, Kyoto 611-0013

Hours : 08:30 to 16:00

Admission : 500yen ( 800 to 1,000 yen in season)

Attention : in season – you are advised to get there as early as possible, especially on a sunny weekend. Otherwise, by mid-morning, you will be competing with plenty of other flower-viewers and the paths are narrow…

Access : the easiest way is to take the Keihan Uji line from Chushojima to Mimurodo station. The temple is a 15-minute walk. Exit the station left, cross the tracks and keep walking straight.

Bus : Alternatively, there is the hourly 43 bus to the temple from JR Uji station or Keihan Uji station (20 minutes, 210 yen).