Nanzen-ji

One of my favorite Kyoto temples that I visited. A bit far from the city center but can be reached by taking the City Bus. It's on a hilly area so do expect stairs and slopes and uphill terrain. One of the most beautiful temple I went to since it is during momiji season therefore the tree leaves are colorful. One of its famous attractions and popular photo spots is the old aqueduct. If you go further up the hill you'll find a shrine at the top. I love how this temple is at the hill, therefore it's literally in the woods. It's like you're going through a wood with a temple in it.

Nanzenji Temple is one of Kyoto’s most important Zen Buddhist temples, known for its peaceful atmosphere and rich historical charm. Located at the base of the Higashiyama mountains, the temple grounds are spacious and surrounded by nature, making it a perfect place to slow down and reflect. The massive Sanmon gate stands as a powerful symbol of Zen philosophy and offers a beautiful view of Kyoto from the top. One of Nanzenji’s most unique features is the brick aqueduct from the Meiji era, where traditional temple scenery blends naturally with modern history. In autumn, the temple becomes especially popular as maple leaves turn the area into shades of red and gold, while spring brings fresh greenery and quiet beauty. Walking through Nanzenji feels calm and grounding, as the sound of water, rustling leaves, and temple bells creates a timeless and soothing experience for visitors.

Nanzen-ji (南禅寺) is one of Kyoto’s most important Zen temples and the head temple of the Nanzen-ji school of Rinzai Zen. Founded in the 13th century on the former villa of Emperor Kameyama, it blends imperial elegance with Zen discipline. A fun contrast: its massive Sanmon gate preaches detachment, while the brick Meiji-era aqueduct inside the grounds openly celebrates modern engineering. This coexistence of Zen austerity, political history, and unexpected modernity makes Nanzen-ji both intellectually rich and pleasantly human.

A must see Kyoto attraction as a tourist. A bit far from the station, which was great for a more quiet, relaxing visiting. There's both paid and free areas, both are beautiful. Definitely worth a visit. Also one of the few temples where there's opportunities for tourists to take their shoes off and walk freely inside. Please be considerate of staff instructions and posted signage.

Serene and peaceful, that’s why there are many visitors to this temple. It’s set right behind a mountain with gorgeous forrest. This is a must visit place when you are in Kyoto if you are looking for where locals visit. My family absolutely love the environment.

The magnificent all-wood main hall is truly impressive. Don’t forget to go up to the second floor, where you can overlook the entire city of Kyoto. This is also one of the best spots for viewing autumn leaves.

On the philosophers path, this is a very large Buddhist temple and grounds, complete with forest and a massive aqueduct. Visiting in Autumn and late in day adds to the magic. It’s in my top 3 places to visit for Kyoto.

Amazing zen temple a bit away from main Kyoto attractions. There was not that many tourists there as in most popular temples which contributed to the calm and spiritual vibe. If you can I recommend going for matcha tea room there as it’s so beautiful and relaxing. I absolutely recommend coming there to enjoy cultural side of Kyoto.

There are a gazillion temples in Kyoto, with limited time we could only visit a few. This temple came highly recommended as a good representation of most of the temples in the area. Nanzenji is located not too far from the Imperial palace complex, so it was pretty easy to get to. There is no entrance fee to enter, however, several of the sub-complexes inside the temple complex charges an admission. The clock tower requires additional fee, some of the exhibits also require additional fee. The temple grounds are absolutely peaceful and well maintained. It sits against a large forest like hill with lots of trees. Since we were lucky enough to visit during cherry blossom season, the pink colors of the season was beautiful, a contrast against the equally beautiful green colors of the hill. The architecture of the buildings are of course very traditional and unique, and the aqueduct was very interesting to see since the ancient structures are all very well preserved. Overall a very nice place to visit.

I was pleasantly surprised how less crowded and enjoyable this place was compared to the heavy hitters like Kinkakuji! There was an emperor back in 1264 that decided to change an existing palace into a temple, so you can already tell how big of a property, the beauty, and just the richness in history this place has. The giant gate itself is just so majestic alone and dates back to 1888. There's a garden up the stairs past the aqueduct that is zen and wonderful to see, and inside the temple, we were able to join in for an afternoon tea ceremony overlooking a small waterfall. The frothy matcha tea came with a small treat. Very nice place to visit.

Nanzenji is another famous temple in Kyoto and it was very crowded on that day as well. The grounds is, I think, much bigger than Tofukuji so the crowd are scattered. I have been in Kyoto several times and would never find or would always missed visiting this temple. Yes, you can get easily get templed-out in Kyoto but one thing that I want to see here is not the temple but the aqueduct or as they call it (Sosui). This roman style waterway draws water from Lake Biwa and brings water in Keage in Higashiyama area of Kyoto. It's no longer use but the structure is proudly standing there. A little bit out of place from the zen garden surrounding it but somehow it is where it should be. Nanzenji, it seems is not that famous during Spring because there are not much Cherry blossom there , it is mostly Maple trees and others :) but to see the aqueduct is definitely worth the trip.

During the third weekend of November, I was very impressed with Nanzen-ji and its koyo/autumn colors. The central temple grounds is huge and free to walk through. There were many trees of beautiful fall-colored leaves as well as an old-looking aqueduct as well, which makes for fun pictures. I love how there are also some places and ledges to sit and relax while viewing the maple trees. There are many temples, gates, and gardens that you can pay admission for, but even just the central area is enough to get your fair share of fantastic fall colors. Nanzen-ji is also very close to Eikan-do, and one can take Philosopher's Path to Ginkakuji quite easily too.

* Nice "neighbourhood" * One of the positives of staying at the Miyako (http://www.yelp.ca/biz/%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A7%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%B3%E9%83%BD%E3%83%9B%E3%83%86%E3%83%AB%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD-%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E5%B8%82?hrid=uj9VOacttwTMQsBSNI6zgg) is having Nanzenji be so nearby. Going for a morning walk through the grounds of Nanzenji before many people are out is such a calming way to start the day. Imagine approaching the huge sanmon (main gate) and not having a single person around. The only sounds are a few birds enjoying the morning sun. Truly wonderful to have such a location in the "neighbourhood." Photo of the sanmon: http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/%E5%8D%97%E7%A6%85%E5%AF%BA-%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E5%B8%82?select=XiCVnlUksrYTwDP7Ig8tqg#XiCVnlUksrYTwDP7Ig8tqg

Yet another beautiful temple in Kyoto that's not to be missed. Take a stroll along the aqueduct to enjoy great views. Best explored in the fall to enjoy the foliage in full color. Absolutely loved coming here and a must if visiting Kyoto. Highly recommended.

Greenery and mountains ( like most of Kyoto) are on display. This place is near the foot of the mountains and not a far walk from the hotels, and nestled in a quiet neighborhood with narrow streets and dynamic sights.There is a coin machine where you can buy a golden souvenir of the temple's namesake, add another to your Kyoto temple coin collection!

The best time to visit Nanzenji Temple will be definitely in Summer and Autumn. The maple leafs there are amazing during these seasons. The San-mon(Main Gate) has been used in Japanese TV drama as it has a great view. You could also climb up the gate and enjoy the view from there. Also I usually like to go there during the night in summer time, as you could enjoy the great contrast with the dark gate and the fresh green leaves. But it might be a bit scary so if you have strength please try;) In the conner of the Nanzenji Temple there is a red brick canal (Sosui), just like the roman canal, running from Lake Biwa to Kyoto-city. It is a nice place to take pictures under the canal as it has some tunnels that you could pose like a model.

There are many beautiful Buddhist temples throughout Kyoto. If you need help figuring out which ones to visit, I'd recommend visiting this temple based on location alone. The temple is beautiful with a massive gate and surrounding zen gardens. Plus, from here, you can head to the Path of Philosophy (a 2 km pedestrian path along a stream lined with cherry blossom trees), and walk north towards the Ginkaku-ji Temple. There are restaurants in the Nanzen-ji Temple neighborhood, local shops along the Path of Philosophy, and a busier shopping street in the Ginkaku-ji Temple area. We started from the northern end and finished our walk here @Nanzen-ji Temple.

It's quite popular as the trees sprinkled with red leaves, that is changing for the fall. Although in Kyoto there are so many place where you can enjoy tinted autumnal leaves, this place is one of my favorite spot in Kyoto! Also I could say if you want to touch Japanese Zen, you should visit there. There is one spot I love where a part of the aqueduct transforming the water at Lake Biwa (we call it 水路閣.) It was constructed in 1888. This aqueduct passes the front gate of some temple. We can see some people who are gathering and taking picture as their memory in here. There was resistance against assembling Suirokaku in the area of Nanzen-ji Temple as some fright it would be a hazard to destroy the scenery, but Suirokaku is now well-known as a symbolic breathtaking spot in Kyoto as it often come out in TV drama. Access: Take bus Hosshojucho or Nanzen-ji-eikan-ji-michi-mae stop or Keage (蹴上）subway station Opening hours: 8:40-17:00 (16:30 from Dec. through Feb.) Closed: Dec 28-31 Admission Fee: Adults 500 yen / Children 300 yen

This is one of the biggest temples that is free to walk around. You can go to the zen garden next door (which is under construction and features a bell that you cannot hit, but I hit it anyways since there wasn't a sign). They also try to charge you 500 yen to go upstairs the Temple to see inside it. I would highly recommend that you do NOT pay the 500 yen to go upstairs. You literally go upstairs, there's nothing to see nor a view, and go back down. You can browse the rest of the Temple area for free. It's massive, beautiful architecture, and definitely worth a visit.