Let's Talk January: Favorite Place to Visit in Japan

[mithen]

Ilyena_Sylph asked about my favorite place to visit in Japan. That would have to be specifically Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto! Daitokuji is a compound of little tiny Buddhist temples, many of which have a beautiful little garden attached to them where you can sit on a sun-warmed wooden veranda and contemplate the meaning of life.

The most famous of them is Daisen-in, which has a beautifully austere rock garden that represents a river that loops around the temple before ending in a vast ocean (or perhaps a foggy mountain range):



Koto-in has an entrance walk through a maple grove before reaching a mossy garden.



Ryougen-in has a set of five very small rock gardens that focus on having especially dramatic "ripples" around the rocks.



I usually end up spending a couple of hours going from temple to temple when I visit;  it's not on the usual rotation of school tours, so it's often much more quiet and relaxing than the more well-known temples!

Comments

[ilyena_sylph]

Oh, wow.

Those are beautiful pictures, I can almost feel the peace coming off of them.

It sounds like a wonderful place to be, too!

[mithen]

Come visit us! *beams* It is a really nice place to go...I wish I lived closer, I'd go there on the weekends and just sit a bit. :)

[mekare]

This looks absolutely lovely! And I agree that having too many tourists around can spoil the beauty of some places (I imagine Kinkaku-ji is overcrowded at all times). Thank you for sharing the wonderful pictures!

Btw does "-in" mean temple?

[mithen]

Kinkaku-ji can be HORRIBLY crowded, and it does make relaxing and enjoying hard sometimes!

Also, yes! "-in" means Biddhist temple and "-ji" means a Shinto shrine! :)