Ohara and Yase
You can enjoy the calm and peaceful village’s landscape away from the city noise where is surrounded by the mountains on all sides. The field gets colored in yellow with Field mustards in spring, filled with Akajiso/Red shiso basil the purple Perilla, which is a specialty, spreads in summer and covered with snow in winter. As Ohara is located in the West of Hieizan Enryakuji temple, the area has been influenced by the temples of the Tendai sect. Ohara used to an prosperous area for nobles to live in seclusion.
Historically, it is considered as a sacred area for Buddhist chant for Tendai sect as a result of the fact that the famous priest Jikaku Daishi Ennin opened the practice Dojo in Ohara in Heian period. The son of Emperor was the abbot for the famous prestigious temple Sanzenin . It has a great deal of exhibitions highlights such as the statue of Amida Triad and mossy garden. The hydrangeas are beautifully blooming in the rainy seasons and numbers of visitors adore them.
Furthermore, Hosenin temple is a famous temple where has a picturesque magnificent garden that can be cherished from the inside the temple as if you are looking at some artwork from the inside the establishment. This garden holds a Japanese white pine that lives for 700 years and its coloring leaves that are seen earlier than in the city are unquestionably mind-blowing. Besides. Ohara has been a place for townsfolk to renounce the world or to live secluded lives. Among them, Jyakkoin temple is the temple where is historically famous as the temple where the last imperial survival Kenreimon-in lived her rest of her life after Taira clan lost at one of the well known battle in Japanese history, the battle of Dannoura, and it is said that Emperor Go-shirakawa also visited there to see her.
There were once ladies, called Oharame, who delivered firewood and fresh agricultural products on their heads from Ohara to the capital city. Their fresh seasonal agricultural products locally cultivated are available even now at the market called Satonoeki Ohara. The market also has a restaurant where provides home-made cuisine cooked by local ladies from Ohara. You can taste their specialty, the purlple Perilla Akajiso juice in Summer as well.
