Famous spot for autumn leaves! Introducing the Maple Festival at Mt. Narutani Shobouji in Fujiwara-cho, InabeCity, including parking and access.

I went to Narutaniyama Shohoji Temple in Fujiwara-cho InabeCity which is known as a famous spot for autumn leaves in Mie Prefecture. Fujiwara-cho, Inabe InabeCity, located in the northern part of Mie Prefecture, is a place where there is relatively a lot of snow, and the temperature is low, so you can enjoy beautiful autumn leaves.

In 2016, the Momiji Festival will be held from November 19th to 27th (varies depending on the year).
Location: Shohoji Temple (981 Sakamoto, Fujiwaramachi InabeCity)
Admission fee: During the Maple Festival period, 200 yen for high school students and above, parking fee 300 yen

Access by car is approximately 40 minutes from Kuwana IC on the Higashi-Meihan Expressway. By train, it is about a 20 minute walk from Nishi-Fujiwara Station, the last stop on the Sangi Railway.

During the Momiji Festival, there is a temporary parking lot near the entrance to Shohoji Temple, so you can park there (cost is 300 yen). The photo is the entrance.

Before climbing the stairs to Shohoji Temple, there is Narutani Shrine. There is something very rare here...

There is a Komasaru (guardian monkey) that is not a guardian dog! His name is Masaru (divine monkey).

Then head to the stairs. There are approximately 300 stone steps, so we recommend wearing sneakers or other comfortable shoes. If you get tired, there are places where you can take a rest along the way, so don't push yourself too hard and head up.

A Santa Claus scarecrow was waiting for us along the way. There are other scarecrows, so let's climb slowly while looking at them.

After climbing the stairs, you will arrive at Shohoji Temple! Here, you will pay a cooperation fee of 200 yen (free for junior high school students) and enter the famous maple leaf spot.

When you enter, you will see a maple tree that has turned beautiful red! You can enjoy the autumn leaves of over 40 Japanese maples and ginkgo trees. Nishikigoi are also swimming in the pond.

The colors change depending on the tree, so you can enjoy a wide variety of colors.

The autumn leaves are reflected in the pond, so be sure to take a walk while looking at the pond as well as the trees.

This is a photo of a large yellow ginkgo reflected in a pond. Depending on the time of day, the reflection becomes more yellow and you can enjoy a beautiful sight!

The red autumn leaves are truly worth seeing. By the way, a photo contest was being held on the Shohoji website, so there were many people who wanted to take pictures.

There is a matchmaking Jizo within the temple, so if you would like to make a wish, why not pray here?

I spoke to Taizan Nakai, the chief priest of Shohoji Temple, and he was very friendly and I was able to talk to him about a lot of things. The homepage of Shohoji Temple is a must-see as it is worth seeing.
Shohoji Temple Home Page

A tea ceremony was also held, so I stopped by while I was taking a break.

We were able to enjoy Japanese sweets made by the local women's association, as well as matcha and sencha tea in a Japanese-style room. I was able to rest well in a relaxing space where time seemed to move slowly. It felt like a good deal since it came with a fortune slip, but I was nervous about what I would get...The result was Daikichi! It looks like something good will happen.

This is Narutani Falls, which is located a little further down. The underground water of Mt. Fujiwara was clean and cold. It's a spot you'll want to visit even in the summer.

In front of the waterfall, there was a large ginkgo tree that was beautifully colored and was also a great photo spot.

During the Momiji Festival, Shohoji Temple will be lit up on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, so you can enjoy a completely different view if you come at night.

Events such as tea ceremonies, maple concerts, and temple yoga (!) will be held, so please enjoy them together with the autumn leaves. Please check the Shohoji website for event details.

*The content posted is information as of November 2016.