Ohara Sanzenin

Ohara is a valley in the mountains north-east of Kyoto that is still farmed, and Sanzenin sits above the village behind stone walls that look like a small castle. The temple's origins go back to the eighth century and it has been headed by imperial family members. Two gardens: Shuhekien, seen from the reception hall, and Yuseien, a moss and cedar garden sloping down from the Ojo Gokurakuin, a hall of 1148 holding an Amida triad in which the two attendant figures kneel forward as though rising to meet someone. In the moss of the lower garden are the warabe jizo, small rounded stone children carved in the 1990s by a contemporary sculptor, half sunk in the ground cover and easy to miss. The village below grows shiso and sells pickles, and Jakko-in, a small nunnery with a quiet history, is on the other side of the valley.

What you actually see

• Yuseien - a sloping moss and cedar garden below the 1148 hall.
• The kneeling attendants - an Amida triad whose flanking figures lean forward.
• Warabe jizo - small stone children set half-hidden in the moss.
• A farmed valley - Ohara still working, with pickle and shiso shops in the village.

When to go

Late November for maples; June for hydrangeas. Half a day including the bus.

Honest expectations

The bus from Kyoto takes about an hour and is packed in autumn. The approach from the bus stop is a ten-minute uphill walk lined with shops. Entry is charged and the other temples in the valley charge separately. Winter here is colder and snowier than the city.

Nearby

Jakko-in is across the valley; Kurama is west over the ridge.