Eigen-ji Temple - Higashiomi

湖東三山に続いて足を伸ばした滋賀県でナンバー1の紅葉スポット「永源寺」へ。 しばらく駐車場に空きが無いほど、たくさんの人が訪れていました。 翌日には南下して、奈良の紅葉スポット巡りにつながりました。

2021/11/15に行ってきました。 駐車場??は秋の紅葉シーズンは橋を渡る前に有料(500円)の駐車場に停めないといけない感じでした。 橋を渡ってすぐに、【こんにゃく田楽】を食べたり、お土産を買える所が有りました。 僕は階段を登る前のお店で【こんにゃく田楽】を食べたのですが、200円で赤いコンニャクと白いコンニャクの2本いただきました。2本とも同じ色でも大丈夫みたいです。 白いコンニャクの方は味はそんなにしませんでしたが弾力は凄かったです。 赤いコンニャクの方はほのかに何かの味がして柔らかかったです。 紅葉?はほぼ最盛期に近い感じでした。 山間部にある為、全体的な雰囲気が凄く良かったです。

紅葉がとても綺麗です。 日曜日の朝９時で、駐車場に、停めることができました。 駐車場が500円で、拝観料が一人500円です。 全体が紅葉づくしというわけではないですが、要所に紅葉があり、とても良い場所です。 抹茶やうどん等の麺類を食べるところもあります。

Beautiful

Great temple to check out the foliage in the autumn.

Lovely local temple with a lot of Momiji trees. Nice walk and great chillout by the river.

**No goshuincho at this time due to COVID** We missed the fall season where the maple leaves really pop out through the temple. But the snow that falls throughout the temple grounds still brings beauty. Parking is right across the red bridge across from the Eigen-hi tourist info booth. It was very empty when we visited.

(Trip was made back then on 25 Nov 2019, 2 years before the Covid-19 Pandemic hit) Can’t believe it’s been exactly 2 years since we have visited this magnificent place. During the planning stages, I initially thought it was going to be tedious to get to, having to take a train to a random quiet town, then switching to bus which Google maps said would take another 47 minutes to reach. Was all this really worth it? Well, we took a gamble and went for it. When we arrived and saw the magnificent view, we knew that our risk had paid off. If you thought Ishiyamadera Temple was beautiful, wait till you see Eigenji Temple. The temple feels like it’s basking in the sun’s golden rays, surrounded by rich vibrant shades of orange, yellow and red. It is famous for its beautiful autumn coloured leaves, thanks to the 3000 maple trees found within the temple grounds. It comes as no surprise that the temple is as one of Japan’s 100 grand autumn foliage sites. It’s a place I can definitely fall in love with. The autumn foliage is so magnificent that you could stay here for hours admiring its beauty. There was so much to soak in that we were glued here for 3 hours. Really miss this experience and I would definitely do it in a heartbeat given the chance. Note: 1. The train journey wasn’t too difficult (granted, we were already stationed at Omihachiman). Just need to take the local train to Yokaichi Station. 2. If you’re lucky like us, a helpful bus conductor will help issue a 1 day pass at the train ticket counter, which covers the train and bus fares. This helps you to save more rather than paying for the train and bus fares individually. 3. Taking the bus wasn’t too daunting either. There are 3 bus stops just on the left exit of the station and the bus heading for Eigen-ji is bus stop no.1. The only problem is knowing when the bus arrives and departs. The bus ride itself took about 35mins. 4. Apparently, morning was the worst time to go as there’s tonnes of local tour groups, all elderly, swarming the place(think of it as our local CC grassroots activities). The place gets quiet and empty by 12 noon, so on hindsight it would have been better to come in the afternoon.