The Beautiful Temples and Gardens of Kyoto

I’ve dreamed of Kyoto and its thousands of temples for as long as I’ve dreamed of Japan. I love Japanese architecture and Zen gardens. One day, when I own a home, my backyard will be designed as a Japanese Zen garden, complete with pond, koi fish, rock garden, and little waterfall. On my recent visit to Japan , Kyoto was the only place I wanted to see as much as Tokyo . Though it rained (sometimes heavily) during my visit, Kyoto, with its temples and gardens, was even more beautiful than I’d imagined. I spent hours wandering historic streets and darting in and out of tranquil temples. I ended up sitting down, listening to music, and staring out at one Zen garden for over an hour.

But instead of yapping on about Kyoto’s sublime and blissful beauty, I’ll let Kyoto show you itself:

Kinkaku-ji, aka The Temple of the Golden Pavilion

The famous rock garden at Ryoan-ji Temple (my favorite)

A torii gate at Ryoan-ji Temple

Ryoan-ji Temple

Kodaiji Temple rock garden

Kinkaku-ji Temple entrance

A path in Daitoku-ji Temple complex

Entokuin Temple rock garden

One of the many temples in the Daitoku-ji Temple complex

Chorakuji Temple

Entokuin Temple rock garden