People in Japan are heading to the ancient temple to hunt for the flowery hearts.

As the rainy season descends upon Japan, temples and gardens around the country begin to bloom with beautiful hydrangeas. The flowers are so renowned, they’ve become one of the most iconic symbols of summer in Japan, and many temples open their gardens to visitors so they can enjoy the blossoms in a traditional Japanese environment.

▼ Mimurotoji, an ancient temple in the hills of Uji City in Kyoto, blooms with flowers year-round, and at this time of year, it’s one of the most famous places in the Kansai region to view hydrangeas.

With a garden measuring roughly 16,000 square metres, the temple grounds are filled with more than 10,000 hydrangeas in over 50 varieties.

For people who look closely while walking through the grounds, there’s a special treasure to be found.

▼ Heart-shaped hydrangeas!

These unique blooms are hidden amongst the many thousand of other hydrangeas which appear with a more traditional globe shape. It’s said that those who discover a heart-shaped flower head will have their love wishes granted.

Visitors have been sharing photos of their discoveries on social media, revealing a number of flower-filled hearts in a wide variety of different colours.

▼ There are bluish-purple hearts

▼ Classic pink varieties

▼ And multi-coloured clusters that look as if they’re holding delicate little butterflies.

During the flower-viewing period, the flower beds will be lit up on certain nights, creating a beautiful, romantic atmosphere. As for whether love wishes really do come true here, you’ll have to visit the temple and join the search to find out!

Information

Mimurotoji Hydrangea Garden/三室戸寺 あじさい園

Address: Kyoto-fu, Uji-shi, Todo Shigatani 21

京都府宇治市莵道滋賀谷21

Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (1 June – 10 July); also 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays between 11-26 June

Website (Japanese)

Source: Retrip

Top Image: Instagram/yaedae_top