Daitokuji Temple

Daitoku-ji

ReligiousPark & Gardentemple-shrinezen-garden photo spotgoogle verified

 easy
 9/10
best: morning
contemplative, spiritual

A local would say...

The subtemple Koto-in contains what many consider the most sublime garden in all of Kyoto, hidden at the edge of the complex.

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A walled-off world of Zen temples, perfectly raked gardens, and wandering lanes that feels like a miniature city within Kyoto. The complex contains 22 subtemples, several with some of the finest gardens you'll find anywhere — particularly Koto-in, where a rectangle of moss and maple backed by bamboo achieves a simplicity so complete it borders on the divine. The main temple serves as headquarters of the Rinzai Daitoku-ji school, and the compound's unhurried atmosphere rewards those willing to lose themselves in its maze of paths and gates.

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