During the rainy season, when rain falls steadily, we tend to stay indoors. It can make you feel a little down, can't it?
Why not get out and enjoy a change of scenery at times like these?
One thing you can enjoy precisely because it’s the rainy season is viewing hydrangeas!
Here are three spots in Kurashiki where you can enjoy hydrangeas in a variety of colors.
The information presented here was accurate when this article was published in June 2020. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas are early-summer flowers that come into bloom from May to July.
The parts that look like hydrangea flowers are actually modified leaves called sepals. The flower color changes depending on the nutrients absorbed through the roots.
They turn blue in acidic soil and pink in alkaline soil.
Eventually, a phenomenon akin to the aging of the flowers causes all flower colors to shift toward red or pink.
Acidic soil contains aluminum, which binds with a substance in hydrangeas called anthocyanin, turning the flowers blue.
Hydrangeas can be broadly divided into three types.
“Gaku hydrangeas,” which grow wild along Japan’s coasts, and “mountain hydrangeas,” which grow wild in Japan’s mountainous regions, have ball-shaped fertile flowers in the center.
Then there is the “mophead hydrangea,” with its rounded, ball-shaped blooms. It is said to have originated when the native Japanese “gaku hydrangea” and “mountain hydrangea” were taken to Europe and America during the Meiji period, selectively bred as garden plants, and later reintroduced to Japan.
Enjoy around 150 varieties of hydrangeas at Jushin-in, a temple known for Japanese irises
Jushin-in, in Kimi, Kurashiki City, is a temple about a 10-minute walk from Kimi Station on the JR Seto-Ohashi Line.
It is about a 25-minute drive from JR Kurashiki Station.
From the direction of JR Kurashiki Station, head south on Prefectural Route 22 and then Route 165. At the “Hayashi” intersection, turn diagonally right onto Route 21. Turn left at the “Daiichi Nokyo-mae” intersection and continue southeast for a while.
▼Turn left at the corner just after “Yamada Shoten Harimaya.”
The narrow road climbs a little, so please drive carefully.
▲Jushin-in’s parking lot has space for about 20 cars.
Jushin-in, temple number 51 on the Kojima pilgrimage route, is known for Japanese irises carefully cultivated by its head priest.
Japanese irises are at their best from mid-May to mid-June. When the writer visited on June 20, 2020, the flowers seemed to be just past their peak.
Further in, you’ll find a hydrangea garden lovingly tended by the head priest.
Jushin-in has an astonishing 150 varieties of hydrangeas!
There were many unusual varieties planted here, and I was so captivated that I lost track of time.
▲My favorite hydrangea was “Izumidori.”
Its petals taper to slightly pointed tips, and the gradient from white to pale pink is cool and delicate.
Handwritten labels gave the names of various hydrangeas, including “Dappan no Akatsuki,” “Aihime,” “Magical Princess,” and “Annabelle.”
It’s a lovely hydrangea garden that shows how much care and affection has gone into growing the flowers.
I headed to the back garden after hearing that Japanese stewartia (sara flowers) were in bloom.
Because its morning blossoms fall by evening, the delicate white Japanese stewartia appears in The Tale of the Heike as a flower symbolizing the impermanence of the world.
There are still many buds, so you can enjoy the flowers for a little while longer.
Next, I headed to Tanematsuyama Park West Area, a comprehensive park near the summit of Mt. Tanematsu, south of central Kurashiki.
Around 10,000 hydrangea plants at Tanematsuyama Park, with panoramic views of the Mizushima Industrial Complex
Tanematsuyama Park is about a 20-minute drive from Jushin-in.
From Prefectural Route 21, head west on Route 62, turn right at the “Hiroe 6-chome” intersection, and follow the road up the mountain.
The road has many curves, so please watch out for oncoming traffic as you drive.
Tanematsuyama Park has four parking lots.
They can accommodate about 300 cars in total, but please be aware that they may get crowded depending on the season and time of day.
From Tanematsuyama Park, at an elevation of about 258 meters, you can enjoy panoramic views of the Mizushima Industrial Complex.
When people think of Tanematsu Mountain Park, they think of its roller coaster. I remember riding it many times when I was younger.
There are also playground equipment, so families with small children were visiting, too.
Tanematsu Mountain Park has around 10,000 hydrangea plants!
The area around the tennis courts is a hydrangea spot, so I recommend parking in the lot nearby.
There were plenty of pink, blue, and purple hydrangeas right near the parking lot, too. Their colors, from pale to vivid, brighten the mountain path.
When I visited on June 20, 2020, the hydrangeas seemed to be at their very best.
There was also a rose garden, usually at its best from mid-May to mid-June.
You can also see beautiful roses in many varieties, including pink, red, and orange.
Hydrangeas spread out just east of the rose garden.
▲This path looks like it could appear in a scene from a story.
The hydrangeas and green leaves, sparkling in the sunlight, are so beautiful!
There are lots of slopes, so why not take a walk around Tanematsu Mountain Park and get some exercise at the same time?
The “Hanamaki Mamori” charm, designed with Achi Wisteria, and hydrangeas floating in the temizu basin at Achi Shrine
Finally, I headed to worship at Achi Shrine, which stands atop Mt. Tsurugata, north of the Bikan Historical Area.
I climbed up the south approach, which is beside Takadaya Yakitori, north of Morita Shuzo.
By the time I reached the temizuya (water pavilion), I was sweating lightly.
I went to the temizuya (water pavilion) to purify my hands and mouth.
To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the ladles have been removed. Visitors now purify their hands and mouths with water flowing from bamboo.
Hydrangeas with beautiful gradations of color were floating in the temizu basin.
The hydrangeas were a variety of colors: blue on the left, purple and white in the middle, and pink on the right.
The beautiful gradation, reminiscent of a rainbow after the rain, is soothing.
After purifying my hands and mouth at the temizuya, I prayed for the COVID-19 pandemic to come to an end.
After worshipping, I went to the shrine office.
The Hanamaki Mamori is an amulet created through the connection between Achi Shrine and Okayama Lace Co., Ltd. It has been offered since 2020.
It is said to carry a prayer for good relationships, so that its recipients may form deep and lasting bonds, like the thick, long vines of “Achi Wisteria,” a prefecture-designated natural monument growing on the grounds of Achi Shrine.
▼In June 2020, the Hanamaki Mamori was offered in the following five varieties.
- Akane Sasu
- Kohi
- Fujinami
- Sawarabi (spring limited edition, March–May)
- Watatsumi (summer limited edition, June–August)
The shrine usually offers four colors in total: three regular colors (Akane Sasu, Kohi, and Fujinami) plus one seasonal color. The names of the different amulets come from the Man'yoshu, Japan's oldest anthology of poetry.
Sawarabi is a spring limited-edition color, but its offering period was extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To receive a Hanamaki Mamori from Achi Shrine, make an offering of 1,200 yen.
There are many ways to wear it: around your wrist, in your hair, or on your goshuin book or bag.
This distinctly Kurashiki-style amulet, with wisteria flowers woven in lace, brightens your heart just by wearing it.
After worshipping, I walked down a few steps and spotted hydrangeas in a flower bed in Achi Shrine's parking lot.
The hydrangeas in the shade have cool hues that feel just right for the rainy season.
From the Writer
The hydrangeas are all lovely and worth seeing, whether they bloom softly, wet with raindrops, or glow vividly in the sunlight.
It was a day of rediscovering Kurashiki's charms as I visited spots around Kurashiki City where you can enjoy hydrangeas.
Why not head out to find hydrangeas that are at their best right now?
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
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