Nara

Autumn at Yatadera

Colorful autumn leaves and ojizo statues

Cathy Cawood Sep 05, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>Sutras written on a statue's red apron</p>

<p>There is a long straight path from the gate</p>

<p>Wonderful Japanese roof tiles on the bell tower!</p>

<p>The color of the maple echoes the statue's apron</p>

<p>Glorious red maple overhanging the wall</p>

<p>I can never decide whether I prefer the natural wooden halls or the painted ones</p>

<p>Three o-jizo stand over a water basin</p>

<p>A maple tree stands over a thick walled storehouse</p>

<p>Just look at the wonderful roof tiles on this gate!</p>

<p>Red leaf floating in a water basin</p>

The official name of this charming temple set in the beautiful Nara countryside is Kongosen-ji, but it is usually called Yata-no-ojizosan, or simply, Yata-dera. Many ojizo statues stand around the temple grounds with mossy growths and red aprons. The temple is famous for hydrangeas, but I visited in autumn when cherry and maple leaves were scattered over the ground.

Cathy Cawood @cathy.cawood

I came to Japan in 2003 to teach English. I lived in Shiga prefecture for 1 year, and it still holds a special place in my heart. I lived in Kyoto for 9 years, then moved to Machida, Tokyo in 2014 after meeting my Japanese partner. I love to take photos, and my Japan in Pictures Facebook page ha...