Hydrangeas, or アジサイ (ajisai), are some of my favorite flowers.
In Japan, they bloom between mid-June and mid-July, which coincides with 梅雨 (tsuyu), the rainy season.
They’re just so bunchy and cute!
Ikasuri Jinja (坐摩神社) has a hydrangea display during this time of the year, so I headed over there on a trip to Osaka in mid-June.
Ikasuri is known as the ceramic shrine. This type of lantern is made of stone at other shrines, but is gorgeously redesigned in ceramic here.
Speaking of nontraditional, Ikasuri’s handwashing place has a motion-sensor faucet.
The shrine boasts about 200 hydrangea plants.
Fun fact: the kanji for ajisai is 紫陽花 (purple-sun-flower), though the katakana is much more common.
The grounds are fairly small, but Ikasuri is a charming shrine, a hydrangea oasis tucked away near the heart of Osaka.
Access
One-minute walk from Honmachi Station (本町駅) on the Midosuji Line（御堂筋線)；exit #15, south side.
大阪市中央区久太郎町４丁目
Osaka-shi Chuou-ku Kyoutarou-machi 4-chome
Open daily from 7:00 – 17:00.
Official Website (Japanese)
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