Giant camphor trees guard the entrance to this intimate sanctuary that most tourists march right past on their way to Kyoto's more famous temples. Their loss is your gain. Inside, a superb landscape garden unfolds before you as you sit on the tatami of the main hall, sipping green tea and watching light play across the carefully composed stones and moss. The unhurried atmosphere and small scale make it one of the most meditative experiences in the entire Higashiyama district. Special nighttime illuminations in spring and autumn transform the garden into an ethereal dreamscape.