Kenninji Temple — Attraction in Kyoto

This is a stunning temple. Although the Zen rock garden is much over-rated so avoid if you know anything about them or are a fan.

Why one star? This is an unbelievably badly run temple with incredibly rude staff. It’s certainly not run on any Bhuddist or Zen principles.

The receptionist was bizarrely and deeply rude to our guide on entry (she’s a very sweet old lady and did nothing but try and buy our entry tickets). They refused to let us throw away a plastic cup (which are not allowed) in their bin despite allowing people who had bought a drink inside to use this exact bin. So one of us had to walk several streets away to find a bin. Whilst they did this they security guards got very annoyed that we were waiting in the lobby and tried to get us to start the tour without one of our party who was a young teenager who they’d just sent away.

The security guides seem very officious and drunk on their power - they were constantly asking people to sit up, not sit, sit down, move, change directions. If you weren’t doing things exactly how they imagined you should then you got told off. There’s an invisible rule book which you’re not told but find out as you inadvertently break each rule and a guard comes to tell you off. None of these rules has anything to do with being respectful or Bhuddist teachings. They are just a very odd set of rules which seem designed to annoy and frustrate visitors.

And this wasn’t people misbehaving or being disrespectful. The crowd were very well behaved. This was things like a security guard berating a father for his toddler who was doing nothing more than being a toddler. It really was an extremely bizarre experience.

The most un-Zen and non-Bhuddist Zen Bhuddist...

The temple is very beautiful, although a bit pricey compared to other temples. However, we had a really bad experience. We visited yesterday with our two-year-old daughter, and from the moment we entered, one of the guards started following us everywhere, constantly telling us to “control” our daughter — even though she was holding our hands the entire time.

She wasn’t yelling or running around; she was simply excited and talking softly about what she saw. Despite that, the guard came to us four times in just twenty minutes to repeat the same warning. We couldn’t even sit down or relax because the pressure was so uncomfortable.

At one point, I told him, “She’s just a child,” and he replied, “This is a temple.” We were in the garden area, and even though she wasn’t disturbing anyone, just the sound of a toddler’s small voice seemed to bother him for no reason.

It really felt like children are not welcome there. If that’s the case, they should clearly state it on their website so families can avoid feeling so uncomfortable — especially after paying for admission. We truly didn’t enjoy our visit because we felt constantly watched and followed by this person. It’s not fair that while other tourists were talking and taking photos freely, our daughter’s little voice was treated...

Not recommended.

I had a disappointing experience visiting this template. One of the staff members was extremely rude and unfriendly. There's a rule against taking photos of yourself and others, which I find unusual but understandable. I respected this rule and only photographed the interiors. However, this staff member constantly monitored me like a spy. Despite not taking any photos of myself or my partner, she approached me multiple times and shouted at me to stop taking photos. On one occasion, she even demanded that I delete my photos. I didn't understand her actions. After I explained that I hadn't taken any photos of people, she gave a very insincere apology and quickly walked away. I felt very upset by this encounter.

Because she walked away so quickly, I went to find her again to ask for an explanation. She continued to be dismissive, staring straight at me and saying "sorry" in a way that implied, "I've said sorry, what more do you want?" There was no sincerity at all.

This temple is supposed to offer a zen experience, but the staff's behavior was distressing and made me feel uncomfortable.

There are many temples to visit in Kyoto; I recommend...