Ryoan-ji Temple

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, Unilocal 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 Unilocal:
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.

Come for the rock garden, stay for the meditation.
This is the famous rock garden than you’ve seen pictures of even if you didn’t know what you were seeing pictures of. It’s a place to sit and reflect (although you can’t actually sit and reflect in the rock garden but you can sit above it and look down onto it.
You pay, take off your shoes and then walk in near silence. It’s beautiful and tranquil and a lovely spot to just sit and relax, especially if you’ve spent all day hiking and touring things and seeing things and doing things. This is a place where you just sit. Sitting is good.
It can be very crowded which does kill the zen, but overall, worth seeing for sure.

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.

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.

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.

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 5^th 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!

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.

El paradigma del jardín seco, el ejemplo perfecto de la simbología Zen, las proporciones del Universo, las claves de la meditación. Todo eso supone este pequeño templo. Eso y el lugar donde se concentran millones de visitantes cada día y cada hora. Si quieres disfrutar un poco de la visita, sugiero hacerla a primerísima hora o a última, siendo la primera la mejor opción.
El templo es pequeño y lo rodea un parque bastante grande y bien cuidado, con un estanque en el centro. Algunas partes del jardín están reservadas a acicalados jóvenes que vi entrar en kimono con el objetivo de hacerse fotos y disfrutar de una ceremonia del té, según pude leer en algún cartel.
Del jardín en sí, destaco el viejo muro y el árbol que asoma. La sensibilidad de la cultura japonesa a la hora de admirar la naturaleza y los cambios que experimenta es algo que comparto, con lo que todos estos recintos, que no son más que un marco para la masa verde y cambiante, me sorprenden y alegran bastante.
El problema es el mismo que puede encontrar el buen turista en esta antigua ciudad: hay demasiada gente como para abstraerse y siempre se acaba disfrutando de pequeños templos menos importantes pero más solitarios.

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

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!

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.

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.

To me Ryoan-​Ji temple exemplifies a more than meets the eye mentality.
We were so use to seeing bombastic, ornate, and intricate things that when we came to Ryoan-​Ji initially… you could hear the sigh for… Is that all?
This is a very simple place with a very simple rock garden (kare-​sansui) with 15 strategically placed large river rocks. The rocks are placed in such a way as to help with meditation and the path to enlightenment. One actually has to pause take a deep breath and force oneself to sit down and relax (easier said than done). After awhile you will see what I mean!
Another really amazing feature of this temple is it’s Tsukubai (purification water basin). The water spout has a disk with four characters around it but they make no sense when translated… unless you use the square opening (kuchi) as part of the characters… and than the meaning becomes apparent in Japanese: «I know only satisfaction» or basically contentment.
I really enjoyed this place and felt a little bit more enlightened. I would recommend Ryoan_​ji!

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.

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