Jakko-in Temple is a humble temple that was built more than a thousand years ago in the rural town of Ohara, north of Kyoto City. Unfortunately, the main hall was lost to arson in 2000 and it took 5 years to rebuild. Although many people will visit the bigger Sanzen-in, the path leading to Jakko-in is beautiful and filled with scenic nature views.
Admission costs ¥600 and includes entry to a small art gallery containing scrolls of calligraphy and paintings. Visitors are welcome to take off their shoes to enter into the main hall to listen to a brief history of the temple in Japanese. There are remains of a 1,000 year-old pine tree that did not survive the fire and withered 4 years later. Small chips of the remaining wood were inserted into limited edition charms that you can buy from the gallery.
If you get here early and the weather is good, it is best to visit both temples as well as take the nature trail shown as a red line on the map (see attached photo). The nature trail connects most of the historic and natural landmarks including other smaller temples and a waterfall. It isn't a steep climb and is achievable within a day. The good thing about visiting here is that leaves turn red earlier than in the city and crowds are significantly lesser.
Food
There are many restaurants along the way including some hot spring inns. Most of them serve food that are mostly vegetable-based. We chose a miso nabe (hot pot) restaurant that serves a lot of vegetables and chicken, as well as a very rare miso ice-cream. It actually tasted like salty caramel and not bad at all.
Other Shops
There are many small shops along the way that sell their own handmade souvenirs—very interesting to check out as well.
