(This article is generated by auto AI translator.)
Shojuin temple (正寿院) is located in Tsuzuki-gun near Uji City and it’s accordingly founded about 800 years ago. The temple is situated off the major touristic routes in Kyoto and it’s not very accessible especially for first time visitors, but it has become one of most popular sites in the city lately.Shojuin temple's nickname is “Wind Chimes Temple”, because of the 2,000 wind chimes which are displayed here during summer in the “Wind Chimes Festival”. The heart-shaped window is popular not only for its traditional pattern, but also as a window which grants happiness.
This year's Wind Chimes Festival will be held from July 1 (Wed.) to August 31 (Mon.). In order to avoid overcrowding, this year's Wind Chimes Festival has adopted an advance reservation system for the first time. Registration and reservations will begin on June 10th (Wed) (*For details on how to make reservations, please see the end of the article). Although affected by the epidemic, this year's Wind Chimes Festival will not be reduced in scale, and you can experience the festival together with the "heart-shaped window" and the ceiling painting. You can only see it in the summer and it's surrounded by 2000 wind chimes!
◆Heart-shaped window
The heart-shaped window in the guest hall of the Shojuin temple is in fact a traditional Japanese decoration called the "Inomemado," which has been used since the 1400s. The decorations of temples and shrines are meant to eliminate disasters and bring good fortune. When you look out of the heart-shaped window from the guest hall, you can see the pink and white flowers of cherry blossoms in spring, the green of new leaves in summer, the red of maple leaves in autumn, and the white of snowflakes in winter are all contrasted by the heart-shaped window.
◆The vivid arts illustrating the ceiling
There are 160 ceiling paintings by Japanese artists on the ceiling of the living room, featuring flowers and Japanese scenery.
◆Wind Chimes Festival
The Wind Chimes Festival is held every summer in Shojuin temple. 2,000 wind chimes are hung with the mountains and the sky as the background. The sound of the wind chimes is so clear that the scenery is even more spectacular. In addition, the wind chimes that hang in the city are from all over Japan and have different shapes and sounds.
Although the transportation is a bit complicated, the heart-shaped windows and beautiful ceilings, as well as the wind chimes in the courtyard, make it a great place to visit. It's worth the trip. Besides, the temperature of the area where Shojuin temple is located is usually about 5 degrees lower than the city, so it's the best place to come to watch the wind chime in summer! The yukata and wind chimes are both representative of summer in Japan, so we recommend wearing them during the Wind Chime Festival to take pictures of the beauty!
【Wind Chime Festival 2020】
Time: July 1, 2020 (Wed.) ~ August 31, 2020 (Mon.)
Address: 149 Okuyamagawakami, Ujitawara-cho, Tsuduki-gun, Kyoto 610-0211, Japan
Visiting Hours:
Apr. to Oct. 9:00-16:30
Nov. to Mar. 9:00-16:00
*Due to an epidemic, the hours of worship have been changed to 10:00 – 16:00.
Fee: 600 yen
Official Website: http://shoujuin.boo.jp/
*How to apply for worship during the 2020 Wind Chime Festival (July 1 (Wed) to August 31 (Mon), 2020)
Please fill in the following information and send it by email to shoujuin28@yahoo.co.jp.
Name, address, phone number, number of people to worship, date of your wish to worship (July 1 (Wed) to August 31 (Mon) *Closed on August 17 ) and time ("Part 1" 9:00-11:00, "Part 2"12:00-14:00 "Part 3"15:00-17:00).
Reservations must be made by 17:00, 3 days before the date of arrival. Please be sure to confirm your reservation before you receive the confirmation email. It will take about 2 working days to reply, so please be patient.