Daitoku-ji Temple

This extensive temple complex houses twenty-four sub-temples, eight of which are open to the public. If you are interested in Zen culture, this is a place to visit. Ryosen-in holds early morning zazen (Zen meditation sittings). Also, don’t miss the three wonderful sub-temples that can be visited here: Daisen-in, Koto-in and Zuiho-in. Daisen-in has a masterpiece Zen garden that is highly regarded in Japan; Koto-in has fewer visitors and is surrounded by bamboo and a moss garden that can be viewed from the veranda. Zuiho-in enshrines a 16th-century Christian daimyo (feudal lord) and features the Garden of a Quiet Sleep where seven stones lay in the shape of a cross. To get to the Daitoku complex, take a taxi or hop on the subway, exit at Kitaoji and then walk for fifteen minutes to arrive at the temple.