Just a five minutes walk from Saga Arashiyama station (嵯峨嵐山駅) lies Rokuo-in (鹿王院), a temple established in 1380. Although a short distance from other major temples in Arashiyama such as Tenryu-ji (天龍時), Rokuo-in is located away from the more famous mountain side of Arashiyama, and as such is much quieter, even in autumn. Autumn is in fact THE season to visit this temple, for the main attraction here is the long maple-covered alley that links the main temple buildings to its front gate. It is a favourite spot for many reasons, one being that it's located close to the station, and therefore can be done at the beginning of your day, before the hordes of tourists arrive. Not that there'll be many tourists here, but you can really shoot without anyone in sight! The temple buildings and gardens are of a classic design but well tended and beautiful, even it a bit of inspiration is required to get some good shots (hint: I wasn't inspired that day!)
Note that the station closest to Rokuo-in is... Rokuo-in station, on the Keifuku line. Another famous temple a few stations away along this line is Koriyu-ji (広隆寺). Recommended for: Access: 400 円 Nearby: Kachū-an 霞中庵 (470m), Rinsen-ji 臨川寺 (520m), Kōgen-ji 弘源寺 (790m), Tenryū-ji 天龍寺 (940m), Hōrin-ji 法輪寺 (950m), Nonomiya-jinja 野宮神社 (970m), Hōgon-in 宝厳院 (1000m), the Bamboo alley 嵯峨竹林 (1.1km), Shōkaku-ji 正覚寺 (1.2km), the Arashiyama Monkey Park 嵐山モンキーパーク (1.2km),... External links: ウィキペディア, Kyoto Navi, Kyoto Design, 京都風光, Marutake, そうだ京都, Satellite view, Map Keywords: Japan, 日本, Japon, Kyoto, 京都, arashiyama, 嵐山, 鹿王院, Rokuo-in, temple, 寺院, 仏閣 Statistics: visited on 6 occasions, id 333, 18 photos (26 extra photos can be found in the archive). |
