Last Updated: Jun 2, 2024

Akita’s Unsho-ji

One of the Best Hydrangea Spots in Japan

This story was originally published on donnykimball.com and has been syndicated here on Medium.

Just as is the case with the cherry blossoms, Japan has a lot of amazing locations for the hydrangea season. Over the years, I’ve been to many of the popular spots like Kamakura’s Meigetsu-in, but few places can compare with the magic of Unsho-ji. Located up in Akita Prefecture on the Oga Peninsula, this sleepy, countryside temple transforms into a breathtaking spectacle that is worthy of a trip up to Tohoku.

Generally, hydrangeas are flowers that take different colors due to the acidic condition of the soil in which they are planted. As a result, you’ll usually find that gardens elsewhere are a hodgepodge of lollipop-like blues, purples, and pinks. The ones at Unsho-ji, however, are almost always a deep shade of blue. When set against the lush green of early summer, this creates the amazing spectacle that you can see pictured throughout this piece.

While Unsho-ji is certainly not a beginner’s destination, it is exactly the type of amazing locale that I would want readers of this blog to experience. Should you ever happen to find yourself in Japan during the start of summer, I highly suggest that you head up north to Tohoku and check out the hydrangea-carpeted grounds of Akita’s Unsho-ji. When combined with the nearby Namahage…