Meigetsu-in temple is also called Ajisai temple in Japanese, meaning the Temple of Hydrangea. This temple is one of the most popular places to enjoy hydrangea.
When all the hydrangeas are in full bloom, the grounds of Meigetsu-in temple will be covered by water-blue hydrangeas! Many people will visit Kamakura in the summer to lay eyes on this magnificent sight!

After alighting at Kita-kamakura station (北鎌倉駅) , walking for a while, you will find a road leading you to the entrance of Meigetsu-in. You can already see many beautiful blue hydrangeas at the entrance 😊

Purchase the tickets and get your smartphones and cameras ready!

You will need a lot of memory space to capture all the beautiful hydrangeas!

And when you visit Meigetsu-in, you should defiantly try to find the cute rabbits 🐰
This temple is famous for its rabbits!

Rabbits are said to be the messengers of the moon and the god.
Mei-getsu-in’s getsu (月), means moon in Japanese, can also be found in the naming of the temple.
That is probably why the rabbits are chosen to be the messenger for this temple.

You can also find some real rabbits that belong to the temple located at the upper part of Meigetsu-in, the area is named “The field of the Moon.”

Due to the type of the soil at Meigetsu-in, the hydrangeas blooming in this temple are in beautiful blue colours.
The higher the acidity the soils are, the bluer the hydrangeas become, and the opposite, the hydrangeas will be more red coloured.

You can also choose to rest a bit at the cafe in Meigetsu-in, but during peak seasons, you might have to wait for a while before entering.

Not only the blooming hydrangeas on the sides, you can also see the decorations of hydrangeas all over the temple.

The buddha holding hydrangeas~

During June and Maple leaves’ season, you will have to purchase another ticket to enter the back garden of Meigetsu-in.

In the back garden in June, you can find some beautifully blooming Japanese irises.

Though you have to pay another entrance fee, it is definitely worth the visit!

Other than hydrangeas, there is a famous round window located in Meigetsu-in, many people will try to capture the beautiful views of every season through the window.

This window is located next to the entrance of the back garden, you may see people waiting in a queue to take pictures there.

Other than the cute rabbits, there are also cute buddhas in Meigetsu-in for you to find.

You can spend as much time as you’d like and take as many photos as you’d like~
But do be aware that there will probably be a lot of people visiting as well~ enjoy without affecting others and hopefully others around would be in good manners while visiting as well!

Before leaving, remember to find the cute rabbit and turtle near the entrance!

After visiting Meigetsu-in, the Temple of Hydrangea, you should find a chance to come back again in autumn and see a different look of Meigetsu-in.

Visited 2016/06

Information for Meigetsu-in (明月院)