I've been living in this area for 8 months and didn't know it was this good to visit! It's a temple that holds a significant historical value to a branch of Buddhism called Nichiren Buddhism. And today, its not just known for that, its also a famous summer and fall foliage destination!
Budget
¥500 Entrance fee
¥570 From Central Tokyo one-way
It's summer in Japan. I've been wondering why during the afternoon, a lot of people have been walking the streets near my house. I live in a sleeper town so its pretty unusual to see families dressed up and walking by every single afternoon. So one day, I decided to follow them.
It's I'd say, about 700 meters from my house when I started seeing shops, where during the other seasons, doesn't exist at all. I was so surprised there's dango, ice cream, fruit shops, and some other snacks I've never heard about being sold. A few meters more, there's a giant red gate guarded by two deities. I followed the path and arrived to the park entrance. There's a 500 JPY fee, but it's worth it since the park is well maintained all throughout.
The first part is a wide open area where in the left, will lead you to a pagoda. The middle part will lead you to a shrine. And the right part will lead you to the hydrangea garden.
I started at the pagoda. It's a bit smaller than those in famous parks but its beautiful. Behind it is a cemetery where during the time I visited, I can hear monks chanting. The picture above is the only photo I took without other people in it so its not fully visible! The park was so packed when I visited.
I then went to the middle part, you'd start smelling incense and hear people shaking the bell on the offering box. There are multiple temples in the park which are all part of Hondoji's set of temples.
After that you'll be greeted by another open area. This time it looks like a plantation but it was off-season for the flowers in the center part. It was also so hot that only a few people is walking the wooden bridge at the center.
At the sides, there's hydrangea everywhere. But also lots of people since its a cooler part than the hot middle area and there are benches where people can take a rest.
Colors are ranging from white, purple, and blue and they look so cute together.
I followed the path and arrived at a pond. It's so beautiful and peaceful. For some reason, there were less people in this area, especially at the back part.
There's lots of Japanese maple trees so I can't wait to visit during the fall season.
Continuing, there's a long stretch of hydrangea planted at the sides and at the middle of the path.
At the end of the path, I was back at the entrance, I sat at some random bench for a quick rest before going home.
I already noticed this temple in Google maps but never expected a park inside it. It's just a small park. The whole walk was I'd guess somewhere around 500 meters or maybe a bit more. But it's well taken care off. It can get crowded due to its small layout but it's worth a visit if you love hydrangeas!
If you wanna check it out, here it is in Google Maps!
From Tokyo, you need to get to the Joban line which you can access from the Chiyoda line without transfers. Drop-off to Kita Kogane station and walk for about 10 minutes. It's somewhere around 20-30 mins. from Nishi-Nippori station. But if you're somewhere in the center of Tokyo, like let's say, Hibiya station, it could take an hour.
