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  Japan, 〒604-8175 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, 室町通御池南入円福寺町351番地 35.0101829 , 135.7578411
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• Ryōan-ji

  Ryoanji is certainly the best known of all Zen Buddhist temples.
  
  Its famous rock garden has sparked more debates - both admirers and critics - than the fragments of gravel in its rectangular length of 30 m by 10 m (98 ft. By 32 ft).
  
  There are no tires or bushes. Only 15 bare rocks adorned with ancient moss, forming clusters in the middle of white gravel which is perfectly raked.
  
  Although generally attributed to the great master Soami, no one knows for sure who created it, or why.
  
  The mystery surrounding its origins does nothing to undermine the power of its simplicity.
  
  Interpretation that confuses, personifies the essence of the essentially anti-intellectual precepts of Zen Buddhism.
  
  Dark islands in the White Sea or mountainous peaks that rise above the clouds: people see what they want to see.
  
  Arrive early in the morning before the crowds arrive.
  
  Kyoto doesn't offer any more memorable experiences than this: The isolated contemplation of Ryoanji's enigmatic rock garden.

  Ryōan-ji 13 Ryōanji Goryōnoshitachō, Ukyō-ku, Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu 616-8001, Japan

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• Kinkaku-ji

  This is the famous "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" of Japan.
  
  The original pavilion of the late fourteenth century, completely covered with a gold leaf, was typical of the rampant lavishness of the Muromachi period, indulged in by Shogun Yoshimitsu Ashikaga, who built it for his retirement at the old and mature age of 38 years!
  
  It was burned by a young fanatical monk in 1950, rebuilt in 1955 as an exact copy of the original structure and was reconstructed in 1987 with a new gold foil coating.
  
  Most of its buildings are closed to the public., But you pass by an attractive house with a tea ceremony and a thatched roof, and then you can follow some winding the stone steps to the exit.

  Kinkaku-ji 1 Kinkakujichō, Kita-ku, Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu 603-8361, Japan

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• Kitano Tenman-gū Shrine

  Temmangu shrines around the Japan are most often statues of cows and bulls in the seated position (and not because it's about to rain!) These statues are thought to have healing properties.
  
  There are also thousands of plum trees and these draw the Japanese crowds just before the annual cherry blossom frenzy. They are coming for the deep pink blooms.
  
  Kitano Temmangu hosts its nationally famous flea market on the 25th of each month, when you'll really see massive hordes of visitors; they come for the items on sale and for rubbing the statues. It is believed that if you rub the same place as a troublesome area on the cow you may get relief from this infirmity or stress. 
  
  People travel from afar to sift through the offerings of used kimono, antique furniture and ceramics, antique scrolls, crafts, food, household items, and countless other categories of bric-a-brac and sundries, paying prices ranging from the reasonable to the outrageous.

  Kitano Tenman-gū Shrine Bakurocho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 602-8386, Japan

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• Daitokuji Sanshu Temple

  This vast complex of 22 sub-temples and affiliated monasteries (down from about 60 during the Edo period) was built, burned down, and rebuilt between the 14th and 17th centuries.
  
  It is richly endowed with artistic treasures and some of Japan's most superb Zen gardens, reflecting its history as a renowned center of calligraphy, gardening, tea ceremony, and other relined arts.
  
  Four of Daitokuji's Zen sub-temples in particular offer superb gardens, teahouses, and artifacts.
  
  Daisen-in, the "Zen Temple without Equal," contains splendid painted fusuma (sliding panels) and wall paintings. Zuiho-in is a monastery whose curious gardens combine Zen Buddhist and Christian symbolism, together with both an attractive rock garden and an unusually geometric tea garden.
  
  Ryugen-in has five distinct rock gardens, one of which is apparently the smallest in Japan.

  Daitokuji Sanshu Temple Takagamine Senzokucho, Kita, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 603-8469, Japan

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• Jukoin

  Here in the Juko-In monastery is where Sen no Rikyu, the founder of the tea ceremony and its most celebrated master, is buried.
  
  His death in 1591 by seppuku (the ritual disemboweling more crudely known to Westerners as harakiri) was in fact commanded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, his former friend and patron.
  
  Rikyu apparently incurred the warlord's wrath by placing a statue of himself in the large main gate, under which Hideyoshi would have had to pass—an intolerable affront to a famously proud warrior.

  Jukoin Japan, 〒603-8231 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Kita-ku, Murasakino Daitokujichō, 北区紫野大徳寺町５８

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• Kyoto Prefecture

  If Tokyo is the heart of Japan’s fast-paced, electronic, super-powered rat race, then Kyoto is where it comes down to earth with a culture-heavy, inspiring bump. The former capital (and near namesake of today’s) is cupped by craggy peaks, and hides watery temples, delicate castles and the kind of scenes that bring back the picturesque glories of the movie ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’, and launch them into the present day.
  
  In fact, Kyoto rightly gains comparisons a plenty with classic European cities like Rome and Paris, featuring over 2000 temples and shrines, an astonishing seventeen UNESCO World Heritage sites and all the tranquil, perfectly-ordered temple gardens you could ever hope for. Follow the floaty dresses of the locals around the bamboo-encircled pathways to the tiny poets huts in the hills, and wonder the arching, spacey world of misty, mazed temples and delicate paper walls.
  
  If there’s one complaint about Kyoto, it’s that it’s beauty’s not as explicit as you might expect. Like many things in life, though, this city rewards perseverance. Get past the humid summers and painfully cold winters (worth enduring, perhaps, if only for the picture perfect images of Kyoto in snow) and you’ll find the origin of plenty of Japan’s defining images, from delicate temples to the seemingly countless vending machines.
  
  Ryoan-Ji and Ginkaku-Ji are the key temples, steeped in a Zen-influenced calm that’ll have you drifting around in silence, wondering how the world can possibly be so ordered and so clean, yet still so beautiful. In some of the smaller temples you can don robes and quirky slippers and sample monkdom, while another key taste of the city of culture can be found at Niji Castle, where delicate black on white paintings hang on every wall, and you can almost picture a Shogan stand off taking place over the towering walls. The Gion area of the city still houses the small bars and restaurants and is the place where you can spot a geisha during the day or night.
  
  There’s no better taste of Japanese culture and history to be found then the near-limitless supply of ancient must-sees on offer in Kyoto. To miss it off a Japanese itinerary would be utter insanity. Dig deep, explore hard, and go home with a kimono in your backpack and a tranquil smile on your face.

  Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

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• Nijo Castle Ninomaru palace

  Nijo Castle is a poignant monument to the ironic twists of history. Built by ieyasu Tokugawa in 1603 for his occasional, reluctant visits to Kyoto (under imperial command), the castle was taken over by the Emperor Meiji after the restoration of 1868. It was here that the emperor signed the edict abolishing the shogunate and sent his carpenters round the castle to replace the Tokugawa hollyhock crest with the imperial chrysanthemum.

  Nijo Castle Ninomaru palace Japan, 〒604-8301 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Nakagyō-ku, Nijōjōchō, 二条通堀川西入二条城町541番地

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• Kyoto Imperial Palace

  The present buildings are a 1800s reconstruction; the original 8th-century Imperial Palace was destroyed in one of Kyoto's fires which ravaged the previous buildings.

  As you pass through the Seishomon Gate on the western side you will enter the Shishinden ceremonial hall. Here emperors are enthroned this is a privilege retained by the city of Kyoto even after the move to Tokyo, and it is where New Year's audiences are also held.

  Kyoto Imperial Palace 3 Kyōtogyoen, Kamigyō-ku, Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu 602-0881, Japan

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• Nonomiya Shrine

  The Nonomiya Shrine is located in Arashiyama as is one of a number number of important shrines and temples found in this region.
  
  It is uniquely renowned for its special role in preparing imperial princesses to serve as vestal virgins at the Grand Shrine of Ise, Japan's most important Shinto shrine.
  
  The shrine has a prominent role in the Tale of Genii and in a famous noh play (titled simply Nonomiya), and thus attracts people with especial interest in classical Japanese literature.

  Nonomiya Shrine Japan, 〒616-8393 京都府京都市右京区嵯峨野宮町１

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• Muromachi Wakuden

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  Muromachi Wakuden 679 Marukizaimokuchō, Nakagyō-ku, Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu 604-8106, Japan

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Here are some reviews of Ryōan-ji - don't forget to let us know how you got on by using the drop box at the bottom of the page, or joining our community and making a review.

• Daniel Stancombe
  Fantastic place to visit. Stunning gardens all around not just the famous rock garden. We really enjoyed our visit
• 天羽亮
  One of the most famous rock gardens in the world. There are 15 stones, but one cannot see all 15 from any position in the temple. Just amazing! One can sit there for hours and enjoy the scenery. Outside, the gardens in autumn are amazing with a rainbow of colors to enjoy. The more time I spend here, the more I love it.
• Omar Aziz
  One of the more quiet temples with the very popular zen rock garden, as well as a park with a pond. ¥500 to enter; sit by the garden for a few minutes or meditate then walk around. A short visit, like most of the other sites but also often on top-10 sites to visit in Kyoto lists.
• Abhishek Ghosh
  I would say this is not for everyone. Highly recommended if you enjoy nature and peace. The zen Buddhist has created an orthogonal design of nature which appears more marvelous the longer you look at it. I would recommend to sit down at the stone garden and pondering over the structures. Again, not for everyone!
• 陳柏亨
  The best. The best. The best. It is very important so I said it three times. My most favorite place in Kyoto.

We don't have any reviews of Ryōan-ji at this time. If you've been recently please make a submission using the drop box at the bottom of the page, or better yet, join our community, participate and then write some reviews according to your Capacities and Reputation Score.