What other travelers are saying about Ryoan-ji Temple
This is an amazing place - very ‘Zen’ and a really ‘must see’ when visiting Japan. However, more tourist have this on their Bucket list, so visiting or before 10h00 is advised.
We did so and experienced beauty and serenity. Everyone respected the beauty of the sacred place. The Zen / rock garden is amazing - and the surrounding garden is also very inspiring. We visited in June (rain season) but we were lucky and had a nice sunny Day.
This is a heritage site to see Zen at its best and experience the Japanese aethetics. I wish I could stay longer or visit this temple in different season. The beauty is just beyond words, well, only for those who would enjoy this.
I was able to return to this place after 52 years. I was here when I was a baby and my mom took me there so going back after so long and reconnecting with the Stone garden of Ryoanji was really amazing. Highly recommend this beautiful temple and stone garden as you can enjoy a long beautiful walk in the gardens around it and also the beautiful lake for more food stories check out my YouTube channel Junk Food Japan.
For me personally this was one of the best temple in Kyoto.
The grounds are vast and aesthetically done. The water body, water lilies and the trees surrounding it took my breath away.
There was a special exhibition of sliding screen exhibition by Mr Morihiro Hosokawa which was stunning.
The zen garden of 15 mysteriously arranged stones was very calming.
They also house a pure veg restaurant in the temple premises which is an experience not to be missed.
There were many signs for accessibility
It is a Zen temple located in northwest Kyoto, Japan. It belongs to the Myōshin-ji school of the Rinzai branch of Zen Buddhism. The Ryōan-ji garden is considered one of the finest examples of kare-sansui ("dry landscape"). The temple and its gardens are listed as one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beautiful place.Very popular place, lots of tourists and locals. Uneven terrain, lot of walking. Parking is hard to find. Wear comfy shoes, take water, wear hat, sunscreen. Toilets available. No shoes allowed inside temple