Ryōan-ji (solo trip)

We Visiting Ryōan-ji in the early hours was a truly calming experience. The iconic rock garden, with its minimalist beauty and carefully placed stones, invites quiet reflection. The peaceful surroundings and the stillness of the temple grounds create a meditative atmosphere that stays with you long after you leave. Even with a few other visitors around, it felt tranquil and deeply serene a place w...

One of the underrated Zen temples of Kyoto, as it is slightly north of the city. Peaceful as not many people visit here. A huge pond, and a mystic Zen garden based on tiger and the cubs. Must visit! Steve jobs is rumoured to have visited here multiple times during his Japan visits.

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...

The famous Zen rock garden—beautiful, but a bit underwhelming for me. I expected it to be larger, and the crowd made it hard to quietly enjoy the view. However, the path through the garden is lush and peaceful. Also, the staff were incredibly kind—I had to leave my can of soda at the entrance, and when I came back, they had even wrapped it in plastic to keep it clean. So thoughtful!

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...