Tenryu-ji — Attraction in Kyoto

Tenyru-ji （天龍寺）is a major Zen temple of the Rinzai School. It was built in 1339 on the former site of Emperor Go-Daigo’s villa. The main attraction of Tenryu-ji Temple is the Zen garden dating back to the 14th century. A triumph of design, the garden features a large pond which catches the reflection of the maple trees and large rough-cut rocks on the periphery. It also makes use of “borrowed scenery” from the nearby hills of Arashiyama, which appear to be the next tier of the garden. Many elements of this garden were prototypes for later gardens built elsewhere. Tenryuji's buildings were repeatedly lost in fires and wars over the centuries, and most of the current halls, including the main hall (Hojo), drawing hall (Shoin) and temple kitchen (Kuri) with its distinctive small tower, date from the relatively recent Meiji Period (1868-1912). Unlike the temple buildings, Tenryuji's garden survived the centuries in its original form. Created by the famous garden designer Muso Soseki, the beautiful landscape garden features a central pond surrounded by rocks, pine trees and the forested Arashiyama mountains. Muso Soseki also served as Tenryuji's first head priest. Tenryuji is just a short walk from the Keifuku Arashiyama Station, which is connected by the small Keifuku trains (also referred to as Randen) with the Ryoanji/Kinkakuji area and Omiya Station along Shijo-dori Street. The temple can also be reached in a 5-10 minute walk from JR Saga-Arashiyama Station (10-15 minutes, 240 yen one way from...

This temple is proof that Kyoto knows how to do temples better than anyone. This place isn’t just another hall of tatami mats and incense sticks – it’s an entire ecosystem of serenity engineered to make you realise how chaotic your life is.

First tip: buy the ticket that gets you inside and into the gardens. Don’t cheap out. The indoor tatami rooms give you panoramic, floor-level views of the gardens that make you feel like a 14th-century monk with zero bills to pay and infinite time to contemplate koi fish.

Second tip: get here early. I mean early. Before the bus hordes arrive with their flag-following tour guides barking out history snippets. Nothing kills Zen faster than 87 people wedged into a temple veranda like they’re at Disneyland’s rope drop.

The garden itself is a living painting. It’s so perfectly curated that it makes your backyard look like a landfill. Pond, stones, pine trees, misty Arashiyama mountains in the background – it’s the kind of place where you accidentally become a better person just by standing there breathing.

Tenryu-ji is a quiet masterwork in the morning and a rugby scrum by 10am. Pay for the full experience, come early, and let your mind slow down before Kyoto’s chaos speeds...

Genuinely extraordinary place. The temple & garden ticket for ¥800 is a bit steep, given that you're in most of the same areas: however, the temple ticket enables you to see in close at three pieces of wonderful painted art (an incredible dragon, and two delightfully expressive daruma - I won't spoil them with photos here, its worth being surprised!) and sit on the walkway and enjoy a slightly elevated view of the pond and garden. The garden ticket lets you get in close to the plantlife, and the lovely trilingual botanical signs on the beautiful plants are a lot of fun to read. There is a separate ticket to enter a third area to see what must be an extraordinary painted ceiling of a dragon emerging from clouds, but at another ¥500 I had to draw the line. Hopefully, next time.

All in all, it is truly beautiful, if crowded and a lil bit over-busy with tourgroups and guides chatting to their people. Just be keyed up for that vibe, and enjoy. Take your time. There are bathroom facilities in reach of ticket holders for either place.

If you are looking to obtain a goshuin after paying your respects, be advised that at the moment the temple does the whole thing as a stamp! Both the red seals... and the black...