Small temple in Obakusan.

Before visiting Manpukuji, I learned that it has a great many sub-temples (tatchū), but once I actually visited the head temple, I spent all my time there (there's way too much to see!) and had almost no time to go around the sub-temples. Amid all that, this is the only one I visited. The reasons are that it holds countless woodblocks of sutras, many of which are designated Important Cultural Properties, and that it serves a vegetarian ramen called "tera soba" (temple soba). First I had the tera soba. At the time it was a light soy sauce ramen. The texture of the white wood ear fungus was memorable, but honestly I didn't find it tasty. Maybe my own spiritual discipline is lacking. Then I paid my respects to the principal image. Beside it, woodblocks of the Heart Sutra were on display. Apparently the Mincho typeface we still see today began in Japan with the woodblocks made here by Zen master Tetsugen Dōkō. Gasshō.

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2023/05/13 On Google Maps there's both "Hōzōin" and "Hōzōin Tera Soba", but the place where you can have the tera soba is "Hōzōin". Exit Keihan Exit 2 to the right, cross the railroad crossing and the crosswalk, and follow the zigzag road to the end. Be careful. They open at 11, so if you go before then I don't think the sign is out. Take off your shoes and enter the temple grounds. There's only one item on the menu, but the seasoning seems to change with the seasons. A few minutes later, the ramen arrives. It's a light soy sauce flavor, but the vegetable broth is tasty too. The noodles are Chinese-style noodles. And then there's the spice maqaw (Māgao). This is really great; add more maqaw and the lemongrass aroma comes through even more. (The lid of the maqaw comes off if you pull the protruding part upward.) The black bean tea after the meal was really delicious too. It's a vegan ramen, but it's a bit disappointing that they don't take the environment into account, using disposable chopsticks and disposable wet towels.

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I heard you could eat at the temple, so I went to eat. First of all, as is also written in this place's description of the ramen, no animal ingredients are used, so it's basically light. So I can't really recommend it to people who think ramen isn't ramen unless it has meat or fat in it. They're only open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and it's limited to 30 servings a day, but you can reserve by phone, so if you're interested I recommend reserving before you go. It was a very healthy ramen.

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There's no parking🅿🚙, so I parked at the lot northwest of Manpukuji. I got curious about a sign I saw at the parking lot saying 【Tera Soba (Vegan Ramen)】, and since it was cheap at 500 yen, I went on the spur of the moment. The ramen🍜 is made only from 【plant-based ingredients】, so compared to real ramen the intensity and richness of flavor are different, but it was still pretty rich and delicious😌 The flavor of the ramen seems to change with the seasons, so I'd like to come eat again at a different time of year😊 Also, this place is apparently famous for its 【woodblocks】, and it seems a huge number of woodblocks are stored here, but right now it's by reservation only, so I'd like to come back to see them😌 By the way, apparently storing the woodblocks costs quite a lot, but they lamented that the government doesn't provide any money at all😣

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