Hello, fellow travel lovers!
This time, I visited the Azalea Festival at Shiofune Kannon-ji Temple in Ome City, Tokyo!
The Azalea Festival is held every year from April 8th—Buddha’s birthday—through early May, so I headed out with high hopes that I’d catch the perfect timing! 🚗✨
🌸 Cherry Blossoms & the Map Got Me Excited!
The first thing that greeted me… was a breathtaking display of cherry blossoms in full bloom!🌸Wait, where are the azaleas!? 😆 (Guess it’s cherry blossom season first!)
The map at the entrance showed the azalea garden stretching across the hillside—just seeing it got my imagination (and excitement) soaring!
And to top it off, the weeping cherry blossoms were in full glory too!
Swaying gracefully in the breeze alongside the festival banners, they were a sight to behold—even without the azaleas!
🌸 Passing Through the Sacred Trees—Off to the Main Hall!
Walking through the path lined with towering sacred cedar trees on both sides, I headed toward the azalea garden. It really felt like the trees were watching over me…✨
And then, appearing before me—the main hall, Entsūkaku!
You can buy an admission ticket (100 yen) at the shop across from the hall to enter. Photography isn’t allowed inside, so no pictures—but I took a quiet moment to express my gratitude to the Kannon statue. 🙏✨
🔔 Ringing the Bell of Good Fortune & Azalea Check!
“Well, since I’m here—why not ring the bell too?” I thought, and dropped a 100-yen offering into the box for the Bell of Good Fortune. *Chariiin♪*
And then I couldn’t help but say, “What a lovely sound!”—totally impressed, all by myself (lol).
Looking out at the azalea area from the bell tower and… wait, huh?
…Umm, yeah, still just buds at this point 🌱
It’s easy to imagine how stunning this place will be in full bloom! So for now, I relied on the power of imagination to enjoy the view.
Here’s the festival brochure showing the azaleas in their full-bloom glory—absolutely bravo-worthy!
🧘♀️ Shiofune Peace Kannon & the Gemstone Omikuji
Standing tall and serene, the Shiofune Peace Kannon overlooks the entire garden below.
You can really feel the gentle wish: “May everyone’s hearts be at peace.” ✨
Here’s the beautiful view that stretches out from the Kannon’s vantage point!
And then… I couldn’t resist drawing an omikuji!
This time, I went for the gemstone omikuji—packed in a cute little pouch! 💕
I got a Tiger’s Eye! It’s my first time having this stone, and honestly… it feels kind of empowering 🐯✨
🍡 No azaleas? No problem—there’s always dango!
After circling the azalea garden, it was time for breakfast! I headed to **Fumonkaku**, located right inside the temple grounds ☀️
It just so happened that the temple’s café was about to switch from being run by temple staff to a new vendor starting the next day—so the menu was a bit limited.
But the freshly grilled dango 🍡 was still going strong!
No sweetness here—just a savory, rich soy sauce glaze.
The sansai udon was delicious too—full of flavor with a perfectly seasoned broth!
📅 The Azaleas Still Need a Little More Time!
According to one of the temple staff,
“Usually, they’d be starting to bloom around this time, but because of the snow and chilly weather back in March, it looks like they’ll be about two weeks late this year,” they said!
They kindly added, “But the cherry blossoms are in full bloom right now, so please enjoy those instead!” ✨
うん、満開のつつじは見られなかったけど、桜・鐘・観音様・団子で心もお腹も満たされました🌸✨
📝 And finally...
I left Shiofune Kannon-ji with one clear mission in mind: Next time, I’m coming back for those azaleas in full bloom!
The journey continues... Wishing you all a wonderful trip! – TabiJun
Date of Visit: April 11, 2025
