cosmos no sato

Sunday was a beautiful day, so we decided we should get out and about.

I was amazed to find out from my archives that the last time we had been to Cosmos no Sato was 6 years ago.

This place never disappoints.

Lots of blooms.

We had a holiday yesterday, Autumn Equinox. Weird that the holiday fell on a Tuesday. Oh well, can't complain, short week.

Hope your week is going well.

kyuanji

The leaves have finally started getting red and orange. On Saturday, Satoshi and I had lunch at our favorite ramen shop, Momofuku-tei. We found out some bad news though, they will close down next month and be replaced by Ippudo. Ippudo is a popular ramen shop in Japan and they even have a shop in NYC.

After lunch, we caught the bus from Ikeda, up to Kyuanji. We've passed by this temple for several years on our way to Cosmos no Sato, but never got around to checking out their fall colors...until this year. Apparently this year there weren't any typhoons hitting mainland Japan, so the leaves are supposed to be really beautiful because the typhoons didn't beat up the trees. Downside to this is that the winter is supposed to be...brrr...fahreezing..we'll see (still crossing my fingers to see some snow, what can I say, I'm from Hawaii!!).
The property is huge, there are many maple trees, pine trees and many man-made ponds. There was even a building with a huge statue of Buddha lying on his side. You can also walk behind the statue and go into a columbarium (spelling?) type of room with many drawings of different disciples of Buddha covering the wall from top to bottom. Kind of spooky walking through this room, but still awesome to have been able to.

Despite the bad news (about our favorite ramen shop), it was great to be outdoors and see some beautiful fall colors. Have a great week.

Kyuanji
From Hankyu Ikeda station, take bus#26, #135 or #136 to Kyuanji (about 10 minutes)
Bus fare: 170 yen one way
Admission to temple: 300 yen (about US$3)
Phone: 072.752.1857

autumn equinox

Yesterday was Shunbun no hi (Autumn Equinox). Satoshi had the day off. I checked to see what we did last year on this day. It turns out we went to Cosmos no Sato.

We called to see if the cosmos were in full bloom, they were, so we went to check them out.

The bus ride was still a woozy one, but the weather was nice and we got to spend some time with nature.

cosmos no sato

Today we went to our all time favorite place for cosmos, no not the drink, the flower--Cosmos no sato.

I can't exactly remember how we found this place, but it has never disappointed, and we've visited almost every year since.

From Ikeda station, we took a bus towards Yono. The bus goes up into the mountains and all the winding roads that come with it. And about an hour later, we got off at Myokenguchi.

From the bus stop, we walked a bit (about 5 minutes). From the road you'll be able to see it---an ocean of pink, red and white.

I think this place is run by several families. Admission is 500yen (about US$5.00) for adults, 300 yen (about US $3.00) for children. Pack a lunch or snacks and make a day of it (just remember to bring all your trash home with you, there aren't trash cans or places that serve food there).

Today, the weather was really humid and overcast, so there wasn't the cheery feel and crisp air that there usually is when we visit.

Today was also O-higan (the autumn equinox) when families visit their ancestor's graves. It is about this time that you can also see Higan-bana, a red flower that pops up at the edges of the rice fields--kind of like a reminder for the day and for your ancestors.

There was also chestnut trees bursting with chestnuts.

They even had some for sale at the entrance.

After taking in all the beautiful cosmos, we took the bus back down to Ikeda and had lunch at Ikeda ramen. It was our first time here and we were surprised at how popular the place was--there was a line.

Satoshi had their dashi-aji(stock flavor)--a rich pork broth.

I had their tori-aji (chicken flavor)--a rich chicken broth.

I didn't particularly like this place because the soup was too heavy feeling--although I have a feeling it was because the day was so humid and I was still feeling a bit woozy from the bus ride.

I guess we need to go back again to give this place a fair shot.

Cosmos no Sato
Toyono-cho Maki
Toyono-gun, Osaka-fu
Phone: 072.739.1363

Ikeda Ramen (UPDATE: 2014 no longer in business)
3-1 Sugahara-cho Station N Building 1F
Ikeda, Osaka
Phone: 072.751.1148
Open 11:00-23:00