Tokoji Temple, in Gifu Prefecture, has a pretty cool backstory. The legend goes that sometime around the year 1501, a local Zen practitioner was meditating in the mountains when he heard a clap of thunder and saw a dragon rise to the heavens. Using the indisputable logic that any place where a dragon appears must be special, a Zen temple was then founded in the area, which is today part of the Gifu town of Yamagata (not to be confused with Yamagata Prefecture).

No dragons have been spotted since then, but there are still some awesome sights to be seen at Tokoji, especially when it looks like this.

For a few special nights this June, Tokoji will be holding its Shinryoku, or “New Green,” event, in which the electric lights of the temple’s main hall are turned off and the illumination is instead focused on the surrounding foliage, resplendent in the vibrant green colors it just acquired in the spring.

With the soft glow of lanterns giving shadowy form to the architecture and providing extra contrast with the greenery, it looks like you’ve stepped into another world, and Tokoji’s staff knows you’ll want to take pictures while you’re there. During the Shinryoku event, staff will be on hand to take photos of you using your camera or smartphone, though shots of the scenery by itself is also an option, as are still-life photos of the optional refreshments, matcha green tea parfaits and chirashizushi vinegared rice made with locally sourced ingredients.

In order to provide the sort of tranquil atmosphere appropriate for such beautiful scenery, reservations are required and can be made online here. There is a reservation fee of 1,000 yen (US$6.90) per person, and the parfait and chirashizushi, should you choose to partake, are priced at 750 and 1,500 yen, respectively. The proceeds go to a good cause, though, as they’ll be used to help maintain the temple, something that’s becoming difficult for rural communities with shrinking populations to do.

The Shinryaku event is scheduled for June 6 to 8, from 7:50 to to 10:30 nightly.

Temple information
Tokoji / 東光寺
Address: Gifu-ken, Yamagata-shi, Kogura 618-41
岐阜県山県市小倉６１８−４１
Website

Source: PR Times, Tokoji
Images: PR Times