- Gōkei-

I boarded the Hakubi line train Local to Niimi from JR Okayama station. The ticket fare was 590yen. You can either get off the train at JR Sōja station or JR Gōkei station. I got off the train At JR Gōkei. It’s about 30 minutes by taxi from JR Sōja Station or 20 minutes by taxi from JR Gōkei Station. Unfortunately, you can only go from JR Gokei Station to Gokei by taxi or car.

I highly recommend you prepare a picnic basket and take your friends with you. Gōkei is the best place for an autumn picnic. The taxi fare to Gōkei is about 2,500yen. You can split the bill if you go with your friends.

You’ll be amazed by the beautiful nature of Gōkei. You can sit by the river and enjoy your picnic, take photos and relax. Red and yellow leaves are like flowers. The mountains and trees are magnificent and beautiful, and everyone is fascinated by the scenery. You’ll be deeply moved by the autumn of Gōkei.

Writer: Pramudi Munasinghe.

Hōfukuji

After a wonderful time at Gōkei, my next and last stop for the day was Hōfuku- ji temple. It takes about 15 minutes from Gōkei to Hōfukuji temple by the taxi. The taxi fare was 2400yen. You can take the same taxi for the trip.

Hōfukuji is a buddhist temple hidden in the hills of Sōja city. It’s magnificent. I was fascinated by the beauty of the temple. The visiting hours are from 5am to 5pm. Hōfukuji offers the opportunity to experience Zazen meditation. You can call the temple beforehand and decide a date and time. It’s 1,000 yen for elementary school children and older.

Hōfukuji is a popular temple in Okayama prefecture and a temple of Zen Buddhism. You can feel the calm atmosphere when you walk through the temple. This is the best place to visit if you are interested in Japanese architecture and Japanese zen.

This is a picture of the statue of Sesshu. Sesshu was an ink painter who was active in the Muromachi period（About 500 -600 years ago）. It is said to be the temple where Sesshu practiced when he was young.

The closest station to Hōfukuji is JR Sōja station. You can take a taxi from the temple to the station. But I recommend walking. It takes about 30 or 40 minutes from Hōfukuji to Sōja station. The walk from the temple is really beautiful and people are so kind.

Autumn Leaves at Hofukuji Temple are really beautiful.

Everyone let’s visit Sōja city this fall!

Writer : Pramudi Munasinghe