Over 500 years old wisteria at Tagawa, Jozenji Temple

During the full bloom, you can enjoy wisteria clusters that are over 1 meter long swaying in the wind.

It's no wonder that the place gets filled with spectators, so you need to be prepared for the crowds.

So, the proper way to visit is to time it a little early and come on a weekday, as the weekends can get crowded with people who have heard about the blooming information.

Even on weekdays, the parking lot on the other side of the pond, separated by a bridge, is full of cars from people who know about the blooming information.

You have to wait for the cars of other visitors to leave and proceed in order.

There are a few food and drink stalls that provide light refreshments, which can make you feel like you're enjoying a wisteria cluster viewing atmosphere just with that.

It will still take a while for the wisteria clusters to grow to over 1 meter, but you can still feel the unique impact of it.

After all, the wisteria here at Jozenji Temple is said to be over 500 years old, with a trunk circumference of 3.7 meters, and branches spreading over approximately 800 square meters of the temple front yard, creating a magnificent wisteria.

As you climb the slope of the approach, on the left-hand side, there is a temple building beyond the stone steps, and also a rhododendron garden that has just reached full bloom.

And this is the wisteria itself.

Even though it's said to be over 500 years old, it's hard to imagine that era in our minds.

This wisteria was designated as a natural monument of the prefecture in Showa 37 (1962) and named "Koujou no Fuji" by the temple's chief priest.

"Koujou" is a Buddhist reading that means "to enjoy and appreciate regardless of status or class," and it's said to be named to let anyone enjoy it.

One branch of the wisteria has spread so wide and is hanging the wisteria clusters like this.

The size of the temple grounds may have contributed to the sparse number of visitors despite the full parking lot.

An elegant middle-aged woman was standing still with her palms together, not moving at all, while the wisteria clusters swayed in the wind as if she was praying for something.

There's even an atmosphere that makes you want to offer a prayer to the wisteria tree.

Let's take a look at the rhododendron garden as well.

You can overlook the branches and wisteria clusters spreading in the temple grounds from above.

It's a dazzling brightness.

I had a great time.

Thank you for today.

Looking forward to coming again next year.