Ryōan-ji

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 were lucky and had a nice sunny Day.

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!

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 where time seems to slow down.

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 temple premises which is an experience not to be missed. There were many signs for accessibility

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.

1/2025 I knew I had wanted to go to this particular zen garden because of what I read in researching. It was truly cool just to be able to sit, reflect and contemplate. Of course, I did try to see if I could see all 13 rocks at the same time. I'll leave it up to you to find out for yourself. 😉🤙✌️

During our visit to Kyoto, we went to Ryōan-ji Temple, also known as the Temple of the Rocks. The peaceful energy there is palpable, and from every vantage point in the famous rock garden you always see only 14 of the 15 stones—a fact that’s even illustrated by a small on-site model. The temple is nestled in pristine woodland, where many people sit quietly in meditation. I had the “luck” of attracting a rather large local bug—nothing like the ones back in Argentina—that landed on me as I sat in silence. When I swatted it away, its characteristic odor filled the air, and my fingertip remained stained yellow for three days. Despite the insect episode, Ryōan-ji is an outstandingly serene and spiritual place.

Peaceful and quiet with almost zero visitors. You can really enjoy the nature and serenity of the place. Highly recommend if you want to get away from everyday chaos. Ticket 600 yen.

Ryoan-ji is a beautiful temple within walking distance of Kinkaku-ji. I think I've gone every time I've visited Kinkaku-ji, and it's comparably memorable. It's certainly nice to sit and contemplate a zen garden after dealing with the most crowded site in Kyoto. My most recent visit was last month, on a brutally hot, muggy September morning. We sprung for a cab between Kinkaku-ji and Ryoan-ji and felt quietly sorry for the horde of tourists we passed making the same brief trip on foot. Ryoan-ji was also pretty happening, but we were in and out in under half an hour, with plenty of time for rock gazing. You have to take your shoes off before entering, and the lady working there was on us about it like we were absolute morons, making sure we took off our shoes and carried them to the cubbies, not trusting that we would know to remove them once we were there. I noticed that she did not hound Japanese visitors in the same way. I suppose there's a reason for this, but it annoyed me. Ryoan-ji isn't a bad place to be annoyed, though. The most notable feature is that captivating rock garden, built sometime between the 15th and 17th centuries--there are competing theories about who built it and when, but in any case, long-dead people, and a long time ago. There's a wooden deck where you can sit and enjoy the view. The rest of the temple is worth a look, too. You can peer into traditional Japanese rooms with sliding doors painted with elaborate dragons. There's also a pond and plenty of greenery. If you're already in northern Kyoto for Kinkaku-ji, don't sleep on Ryoan-ji. It's a lovely temple in its own right, and very easy to visit.

Another beautiful temple in a land full of beautiful temples. Lots of water and tourists here, but that's the price you have to pay. Enjoy the place because it's truly stunning.

I wanted to go there for a long time. I made it finally. As soon as they opened, I jumped into the temple. So refreshing and peaceful! I need the silence when I see shrines and temples. Unfortunately I happened to loose my necklace somewhere in the property. It has not found yet. Last December.... 吾唯足知 Admission: Adult ¥500 Child ¥300 Parking lot: Free.

" Beautiful Grounds, But A Little Disappointing " The Ryoan-Ji Temple Rock Garden was a little disappointing. You have this vision of huge big rocks of all different shapes, but it is only an area measuring only 25 meters from east to west and 10 meters from south to north. The garden consists of 15 rocks divided into five groups.That's it ! Admission is $5.00 adults, and $3.00 for children under 15. The location is the Northwestern part of Kyoto. It is walking distance from the Kinkaku-ji/Rokuon-ji temple. The Religion is Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. Once you pay your admission fee, you have to store your shoes at one of the cabinets. Walking about the grounds past the entrance is shoe less. It's beautiful, tranquil, peaceful and a lovely spot to just sit and relax as you look at the Zen Garden.

Political prowess of Heian period ended 1192. Boasting 1598 Buddhist temples (otera) and 253 Shinto shrines (jinja), this Zen Buddhist one is most famed for its isshi no niwa (rock garden ). Shoes off! ( but shaded, cool area where this is required). Amazing-- think I was the 5th person in for the morning . Hushed, shizuka (quiet), calm--- everywhere was wonderful to walk through . I've read how many found this place boring. Well, if true Zen is boring, then please don't go to renown Zen temples. An amazing way to spend the morning. Basu #59! Subarashī! Very lovely and full of peace here-- green everywhere. For a moment, I forgot the mushiatsui!

It has beautiful gardens and lotus ponds, quiet at the most time, not as crowded as other temples, less tourists.

This temple is the site of Japan's perhaps most popular Zen rock gardens...but I was still underwhelmed by it. This was the second time in my life that I found the pictures better than the real thing(the first was Mount Rushmore...its much smaller in person!). While this isn't one of Kyoto's most popular tourists destination and therefore less crowded, I still found myself irritated by the dozens of tourists whom there were there. The Zen rock garden is quite pretty and peaceful, but the number of irritating tourists talking, giggling and taking pictures was a huge distraction. Maybe if everyone was quiet I could give it a 5 star...I'll try to visit again when its NOT cherry blossom season. Luckily the surrounding gardens and parks were much less crowded and beauty of all it mostly made up for the disappointing scene at the Zen rock garden. PRO TIP: Traveling with 2 or more people? From Kinkaku-ji, a taxi ride costs less than 700¥. You're not saving much money by taking the bus. And you're saving valuable vacation minutes.

While Ryoan-ji might be less famous in Kyoto, a small town scattered with temples, it is one of the most important Zen-temple in the area. Inside the not-too-big establishment, one would be able to view Zen garden, which features a large rock pool with pebbles, the so-called dry landscape. One would certainly be able to tell the difference as Ryoan-ji was being listed as one of the few "Ancient Kyoto landscape", and people need to take off shoes while touring around. Try to pay a visit towards the end of day, so that you would be able to have a quiet walk around, while enjoying a great collection of history.

This place is famous for its rock garden and it's supposed to zen but unfortunately it gets too crowded. Even still, it's a very nice place to visit when in Kyoto. The rock garden is amazing, but it's still rocks. I still prefer how nature arranges them with moss growing all over them not too manmade. If you have time in Kyoto, it might be a good experience.

I can be here all day to meditate. The rock garden is a heritage site, so it's a must see. I was a bit of a neanderthal at first.. I just saw rocks and sand. But as I sat, I started to take everything in.. from the position of the rocks, to the soft strokes in the sand to the soft murmurs of other visitors. It was really relaxing and I felt balanced. The surrounding garden is beautiful too. If you're temple-hopping, spend some time here. You'll feel more relaxed for the rest of your journey.

It's all about the tranquil rock garden. Take you time, sit down, look around and enjoy the beautiful designs. This place is old, I can't remember and I'm too lazy to look it up. In the brochure I remember it saying you will notice a horizontal line on the wall in the rock garden, it reflects a time that would blow your mind. Proof that Japanese build things to last.

The No1DP and I may be atheist but that doesn't mean that we don't enjoy the beauty and significance of religious sites. In fact, this is the No1DP's most favorite temple of all Kyoto. Admission: 500円 adults, 300円 for children under 15. Location: Northwestern part of Kyoto. It's walking distance from the Kinkaku-ji/Rokuon-ji temple. Religion: Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. 1. Rock Garden (dry) Once you pay your admission fee, store your shoes at one of the cabinets. Walking about the grounds past the entrance is shoeless. Measuring 25 meters from east to west and 10 meters from south to north, the garden consists of 15 rocks divided into five groups. On any vantage point can you see a maximum of 14 rocks in front of you and in your peripheral vision. Depending on perspective one group of rocks can blend in together or each rock be more defined. The point is twofold: to show perspective and that one needs to be spiritually enlightened to see the last "invisible rock". I pondered to the No1DP if you can get a stool or ladder to see all 15 rocks as only 14 can be seen from the ground. I think I would make a horrible Zen Buddhist student. Ideally the No1DP could lose himself from his earthly worries for at least an hour but we tried our best for the 15-20 minutes that we were quietly meditating at the rock garden. I tried my best given the noise level on a Saturday afternoon and how I'm usually in a hurry to try to get to the next site. It did put me in a peaceful state that I can attain with a massage or with several cups of kava. 2. (Wet) Garden The garden is also peaceful and full of cedar and moss. Like the rock garden, I was able to maintain the peace walking about the gardens. Somewhere around the entrance to the garden is a stone-wash basin called "Tsukubai". The four kanji (五, 隹, 止, 矢) mean nothing individually or when read together, but when the central square mouth is included as part of the radical of each of the four component kanji, the inscription now reads 吾, 唯, 足, 知, or "I learn only to be contended". There's a "koan" hidden in plain sight - to know just for the sake of knowledge is contentment enough, and while you can be materially rich you can be spiritually poor. I definitely would recommend this site as one of the "must-sees" of Kyoto for the aesthetics of the rock garden as well as the tranquility one can achieve by meditating in the gardens.

The zen garden is a definite must-see at this temple but so is the understated landscape and strolling paths you can wander down as you take in the gorgeous surroundings at Ryōanji Temple. This is a far less trafficked temple than some of the others in this area but worth the trip! There's a small fee to get into the temple grounds but once you pay there's a good amount to see. This is the 3rd largest zen rock garden in Kyoto but is maintained so perfectly that it was our favorite. There's a long ledge for you to sit and ponder life while you take in the rock garden and surrounding trees that I found super peaceful and also is great for taking photos. Take your time to walk around the pond in the middle of the grounds - when we went in the fall the trees were changing colors and there were many beautiful views along the water. Pro tip - it's about a 20 mins walk to here from Kinkakuji (the golden temple) so we took the bus to Kinkakuji and then enjoyed the walk to this temple versus waiting once again for the bus!

There are a LOT of temples in Kyoto. And each of them has its own back story. By day three, I could barely remember the temples we visited in the morning. Ryōan-ji was one of the few that had a lasting impression on me. Most people come to Ryōan-ji to see its kare-sansui ("dry landscape") rock garden made up of 15 stones, then used for meditation. Your barefoot feet step close to the edge of the veranda and you sit cross-legged amongst throngs of tourists and young Japanese schoolchildren (school trips!). Like everyone else, you begin to count the stones in the garden. 1... 2... 3... ... 13... 14... eh?? So you count again. 1... 2... 3... ... 13... 14... eh??!?! Now you're frustrated. Whether you start to compare with your neighbors or sit at another angle (or read the tourist brochure, you party pooper), you begin to realize that the garden was designed so that from any angle (except for above, obviously) you can ONLY see 14 stones at a time and one stone will be hidden from sight. That was such a beautiful, perfect concept. There's speculation as to what it actually means, but especially with recent events (ahemFergusonverdict), it gently reminded me that life is about perspective. There are always multiple sides to a story, and this was such a lovely depiction of that. PS; The stones are a lot smaller than I expected!

After visiting Kinkakuji Temple, we caught the bus to Ryoanji Temple. There were a lot less people at Ryonaji than Kinkakuji and that's probably one reason why I liked it better. It's a lot more serene as you're walking through a forest next to a large pond. There are lots of photo ops and the rock garden is a nice place to sit and be with one's thoughts, if the other tourists there are also respecting the quietness of the area. We also enjoyed a snack similar to dango on the way out. The bus stop going back in the opposite direction is about a five to ten minute walk back towards Kinkakuji.

Ryoan-ji Temple was one of my favorite experiences while in Kyoto. I enjoyed it much more than visiting the Golden Pavilion next door. The gardens were beautiful and there was quite a bit of property to see and enjoy so I felt like we received a good value. Ryoan-ji was particularly wonderful for meditation and relaxing strolls. I highly recommend it, especially if you're an art or nature lover.

Ryoan-ji temple (竜安寺) I love this place. It's quite memorable spot! Usually I go there as I wanna relax and avoid reality It's a famous temple for rock garden "Sekitei(石庭), one of the cultural heritages in Kyoto. If you wanna feel WABI SABI and know what is it, you should drop in and you will know why Japanese people has been loving that !!!!! Autumn and spring is the recommended seasons because of cherry blossom and leaves turning beautiful red (autumn foliage) Also you can see Ninna-ji temple around there. If you have a time you should go there too! Admission Adult 500yen 15 years old and under 300yen

This is a nice secluded park. People were hanging out at the rock garden. You have to take off your shoes to go into the temple. This kind of architecture reminds me of Chinese movies set in old-fashioned temples. It was a nice walk. The lake is nice-saw some turtles. I did get a bunch of bug bites on my legs near the lake, so maybe wear insect repellant.

A MUST see! The Ryōan-ji #garden is considered one of the (if not the) finest surviving examples of #kare-sansui ("dry landscape"), a refined type of #Japanese Zen temple #garden design generally featuring distinctive larger #rock formations arranged amidst a sweep of smooth pebbles (small, carefully selected polished river rocks) raked into linear patterns that facilitate meditation. The temple and its gardens are listed as one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, and as a #UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Seeing the 4.5 stars for Ryoan-ji Temple makes me think dang, I must be extremely uncultured and unappreciative of this place. And...I'll say that's perhaps true. This is the ONLY place in all of Kyoto (and Japan, for that matter) that we were disappointed with. The positive - it is a very calm and serene place, despite being very packed with tourists. If you wished to get photos of something, people were fairly OK to wait their turn and let you snap a pic. The area (besides the rock garden that is somehow considered perhaps the best rock garden in the world?!) was quite beautiful, admittedly. But we just couldn't get over not "getting" the serenity of the world's best rock garden. Bottom line: if you want to get your zen on, this place may be for you. However, if you are are anything like me and not particularly good at relaxing, you may find this place just as irritating as I.

There are a lot of famous temples in Japan and maybe half them are in Kyoto. Ryoan-ji's rock garden is the OG of Zen gardens - arguably the most famous example of Zen art, perhaps The Highest Masterpiece and expression of Japanese culture. But, for some here, it can be a waste of time, a random collection of pebbles and rocks that mean nothing. The mind wants to figure things out, needs to. It doesn't rest. Looking at this arrangement of rocks of different sizes surrounded by lapping greens of moss, floating, in a rectangular sea of raked pebbles, it gets annoyed, disgruntled, critical, fretful, bored, zoned out, passive, slow, numb, empty. Empty. Just sit, still. Then, shift your viewing place, to the side, or higher up another rock appears, not seen before, another disappears. Let go. See Emptiness and Awake. PS I posted this review over a year ago. Recently, Yelp saw fit to delete this review (thanks to some sad flaggers) saying it did not seem to be a personal experience. Here is my reply to Yelp: I take exception to this deletion of my review. Yes I actually was there several years ago. My review describes the actual rock garden: "Looking at this arrangement of rocks of different sizes surrounded by lapping greens of moss, floating, in a rectangular sea of raked pebbles" It then goes on to describe My Experience being there and sitting in the Zen garden, contemplating the arrangement. Also from different angles. "Then, shift your viewing place, to the side, or higher up another rock appears, not seen before, another disappears." I will repost my review as it is my Personal Experience of being there. The review is an experience of my feelings looking at a Zen garden, in this case the most famous one ever designed. And that is exactly what a review of a Zen garden should be about for that is what they are designed for. In no way have I not followed official review guidelines in this post.

Even though it is basically an old Zen rock garden, you should see this if you are in the area. There are times during peak season (golden week, etc., maybe most weekends...) when I do not recommend going here but instead find another, less crowded rock garden as there are quite a few in Kyoto. There is an entrance fee.

Some may consider the dry landscape garden of this temple boring. Only white sand and rocks spread in front of the main hall. Except them nothing. I agree with them. However there is not only simplicity and vastness of nature but also profoundness in the garden. The white sand symbolizes water especially ocean, while the rocks islands. I stayed here forgetting time. Very calm and comfortable feeling. If you have a problem not to settle down easily, you had better come here and sit down on the veranda of the main hall, staring at this simple garden. If you have nothing in your mind, you may hit on an idea and find the best way to do.

The famous Zen rock garden, tranquil, peaceful. (The place is walking distance from the Golden Pavilion / Kinkakuji so be sure to visit both)