Built in 1450 by Hosokawa Katsumoto on the site of an 11th century temple and donated to the Myoshinji school of Zen Buddhism after his death, Ryōanji is one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyōto and is most famous for its excellent karesansui (rock garden). The temple also houses the graves of Hosokawa, his…
Founded in 1164, with the current buildings dating from 1266, Sanjūsangendō (“Thirty-three ken Hall”, where ken is a unit of measurement) is Japan’s longest wooden structure at over 100 metres in length, and houses an impressive collection of 1,001 statues of Kannon, goddess of Mercy. Officially named Rengeō-in (Hall of the Lotus King), the building belongs…
Kinkakuji occupies the top spot on so many lists of top attractions in Kyoto. Websites and guidebooks present it as a must-see, citing its status as an icon of the city. Time Magazine have it at the top of their list. It is, after Kiyomizudera, the second most-visited temple in the area. Kinkakuji gives the…
There’s a place in Kyoto which is world-famous. It graces thousands of magazines, guidebooks and websites. A golden pavilion floating over a glass-like lake, Kinkakuji is undoubtedly beautiful, but it inspired another building which those same magazines, guidebooks, and websites seem to pass over as little more than a footnote: Ginkakuji, the Temple of the…
Founded in 1291, Nanzenji is the headquarters of the Nanzenji school of the Rinzai sect of Buddhism, and was once the head of all Rinzai temples in Japan. Several sub-temples are present in a sprawling complex which lays across the foothills of the Higashiyama mountains. Crossing some of the temple gardens is a vast brick…
Troo Adventure 