Kyoto | Yanagidani Temple — The Beloved Sanctuary of Hanachōzu

Early summer in Kyoto can never pass without the presence of hydrangeas. After wandering through the sweeping “oceans” of blooms at Uji’s Mimuroto-ji, Kyoto’s Fujinomori Shrine, and Umenomiya Taisha, I hoped to find somewhere more secluded this year.

Yanagidani Temple, which surged to fame in recent years for its enchanting hanachōzu flower basins, seemed the perfect choice. Its popularity ignited a wave of imitation across temples and shrines throughout Japan—though who truly began the trend is anyone’s guess. Seeing photos of hydrangeas there, I drove more than twenty kilometers deep into the mountains in search of them.

Nestled in the forests between Kyoto and Osaka, the temple is hardly accessible by public transport. And truthfully, if you’re coming solely for hydrangeas, it may not be worth the trip without a car—there simply aren’t many. Perhaps only a tenth of what one might expect, with most blooms adorning the hanachōzu scattered throughout the grounds.

The photos, however, turn out beautifully—highly photogenic and undeniably Instagram-worthy—yet the lack of natural garden scenes left me a little disappointed.

Still, disappointment often walks hand in hand with unexpected wonder. Looking up by chance, I discovered the “heart-shaped sky” a staff member had mentioned. The courtyard, shaded by a vast canopy of maples, promises a glorious autumn; I imagine the red-leaf season must be spectacular.