What other travelers are saying about D.T. Suzuki Museum
Highly recommended to have a visit. We came during the afternoon and there was only a handful of people in the museum.
It is quite small and the entrance fee is minimal. However the experience was amazing. If you like architecture, then you’ll fall in love with the design and details put in to create a Zen like environment.
You can sit there and feel the tranquility. At decent weather the water becomes near calm and the occasional intentional burst in a single spot in the water creates constant water ring through out the pond. What these water rings represent is for you to decide.
Have a seat and enjoy.
Probably not worth going out of the way for if you’re not into zen/philosophy. I wasn’t really able to enjoy it because it’s not something I’m interested in. Having said that, the open area with water was nice. The museum itself also was very clean and straightforward. One thing to also note is that there is a beautiful pathway directly beside the museum entrance.
The museum is a beautiful place for anyone who wants to learn about this important figure in Zen. I found the most information about him by looking at the electronic terminals in the corner, otherwise the displays were a lot but lacking for English speakers or one unfamiliar with this branch of Buddhism. They also have a little to library where I thumbed through some of his books. Obviously the contemplation space and reflection pool outside are a big draw and I enjoyed sitting there for a good 10 minutes. People are respectful of the silence. A bonus is a short walk behind the museum where you can see a more traditional green garden and pond.
I gave 3 stars but actually I meant 3.5. And maybe it would have been 4 if I had seen any books in English in the Learning room. When I entered this room I took a glance at the books (I had the intention to read) and I only saw books in Japanese and concluded (apparently wrongly given some comments here) that there were no books in English. So I grabbed a tablet, but found out only one of the videos (which I watched and interested me) was in English. I left the room a bit frustrated and expecting more ahead. At that point, though, the very little information I had seen had really set me up to absorb more about zen (I was really feeling that I was pretty close to understanding/feeling its fundamentals). Maybe this should be enough to consider the experience/visit as successful, but I was expecting more (more information or even a deeper experience in the other rooms). But that was it, there was hardly any more (there were three more brief writings to read, meaningful, though) than looking at the water and the trees. And some people were taking photos (it is forbidden) or laughing while taking photos (outside the museum but at the side of the pool). People who, obviously, were far from understanding Suzuki's thinking.
