My favorite thing we did while Josh was home in August was visit the seaside town of Onomichi and Kosanji Temple. Its about a two hour drive from where we live so we decided to spend a night there. We stayed at a great hotel right on the water called U2 and I would definitely go back. The hotel is a huge warehouse that has been renovated to include a bike shop, restaurant, bakery, coffee shop and store as well as the hotel rooms. It’s modern and minimal and has an amazing aesthetic.
We left the hotel early in the morning to get to Kosanji Temple before it got too hot and busy. It’s about a 45 minute drive and is located a few islands away from Onomichi. The islands around Onomichi are all connected by bridges and it’s a pretty big attraction for biking enthusiasts. I was surprised by how many European tourists we saw out there.
The temple complex includes a beautiful ornate temple that was built by a wealthy Japanese business man in honor of his mother. If you walk through the complex and up the hill behind it, you’ll find the marble sculpture park. The marble was brought in from Italy and sculpted in Hiroshima before being brought out to Onomichi. It’s laid into the hill and the views from up there are so incredible. The juxtaposition of the white marble against the green bamboo covered hills is pretty amazing. The Japanese name for the sculpture garden translates to Heights of Eternal Hope for the Future, or Hill of Hope. The design and creation spanned 16 years and it’s meant to represent a peaceful world filled with hope for the future.
After the marble sculpture park we drove to Hiratakankono Orchard for lunch and fruit picking. The orchard is huge and you can pick grapes, figs, blueberries, apples, peaches, pears and plums. We paid for tickets which we could then exchange at the different fruit orchards to pick what we wanted. You can also pay for all you can eat fruit which is weirdly common in Japan. You pay a fee and then just go and eat as much fruit as you want but you can’t take it home. Seems like a recipe for diarrhea but they love it out here.
I’m really excited to go back to Onomichi in the winter when Josh is home and it’s cooler. Have you been here before?
For more Japan travel guides, check out our Christmas in Kyoto blog. Use this image to pin this blog:
Great color and I love the view! You have captured some wonderful photos and I just love that you have included the food experience – looking forward to your next post – knycx journeying
The photos and architecture here look unreal! I love all of your photos and travel bits! I hope to add this to my bucket list soon one day! can’t wait to see your next travel adventure!
Thanks so much Ebony! 🙂
What a stunning place! Can never really get sick of japanese temples. Always so well maintained and utterly stunning. the marble sculpture park looks amazing too! love the stark white against the green backdrop.
wow, the temple looks impressive! Amazing! Love your jeans dress, by the way, suits you well -blessings!
I haven’t been here. It looks like a picturesque place. I hope I can visit it soon after the pandemic.
What a lovely adventure. I’ll have to put this on my list of places to go and see one day