Kosan-ji temple in Hiroshima Prefecture
Everyone whips through Hiroshima to see the atomic bomb museum and the floating torii gate at Miyajima, but if you don’t make a detour to the little island of Ikuchi-jima to see Kosan-ji temple in its autumn finery, you deserve all the regrets!
In other seasons, the ornate and colorful temple buildings win the beauty contest without even trying, but when the Japanese maples begin to turn in the fall, the question arises: who wears that brilliant orange best?
The temple makes its case
Temple’s commitment to orange is all-in and year-round.
What’s not orange is covered in gold.
Also, other brilliant colors. Not to mention maple trees lack carvings of dragons and other lucky beasts.
The temple doesn’t leave its orange bits unprotected the rest of the year…
its copper roofs are the perfect shade of green to make the orange look even brighter…
and its sheer size invites hours of happy exploration.
But there’s more. When you finally break through to the other side…
Pagoda!
Bonus points for accessories. Giant orange koi…
magnificent Kannon figure…
and extensive underworld…
housing the Grotto o’ Saints
The Japanese maples make their case
Hey, we’ve got gold to go with our orange too!
Colorful maple leaves are the only reason someone might stop to notice the beautiful carved detail on this bridge…
or think to pause and offer a prayer by this serene Buddha
Autumn maple leaves improve this jewel of a garden 100%
and all the statues of saints and abbots along the meandering pathways get to enjoy the leaves. They vote maples.
In many cases, of course, the leaves and temple make each other look amazing…
and lucky us, we’re here in November, so we don’t really have to choose. We get to see both!
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Here’s where the Kosan-ji temple is:
And here’s a closer view of the area:
Kosan-ji is on an island near the coast of Hiroshima, with frequent and inexpensive ferry service from Mihara. To figure out how to get to the Kosan-ji temple from where you are, use the Japan Navigation phone app, plugging in your location, travel date and preferred arrival/departure time. Here’s where to get the app and how to use it.
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly Japanagram newsletter, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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