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