Ginkakuji (solo trip)

Higashiyama Jisho-ji is so beautiful! The garden is very delicate and peaceful! It is not very big, I entered at 9 am and finish around 9:30 am. To go around the garden, there are quite a few steps needed to climb, but it’s manageable. Wear comfortable shoes! I suggest visiting right before it opens at 8:30am or as early as 9am because it gets hot and humid close to noon time.

The garden was actually quite nice. Busy but still nice. Not as big as I thought but pretty surreal to see it. But again the crowd take away from it all when you’re walking at grandma or grandpa pace due to the crowds. Would I go back there, yeah I would but probably earlier or later in the day. There is no bicycle parking. So have to park down the street near the bridge.

Wonderfully serene and mind cleansing experience. Much less crowded than most other temples I've been to in Kyoto. The sand art is a special delight and this is easily my favorite Japanese garden in the world. Great little souvenir shop too with items that I haven't seen in any other one, so if you're looking for that unique set of memories from Kyoto, check it out!

Another amazing temple in Kyoto. We went there first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds, thus we had the unique opportunity to enjoy the beautiful landscape with relative calm and with a perfect spring weather. The sand garden, the carefully manicured moss, the beautiful ponds and the overall serene temple environment were simply amazing.

This temple and garden is smaller than most in Japan but we enjoyed it thoroughly. There were less crowds so it was quite peaceful in parts which allowed for quiet reflection. The gardens were very impressive and the sand formations were absolutely spectacular! Additionally the street approaching the temple had some unique stores where we picked up some great souvenirs. We really enjoyed our morni...