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.