Japan Photo Guide

A smaller less known temple off the Tetsugaku no michi (Philosopher’s Path). During the fall season Honen-in is particuarly beautiful. The temple is fairly small and the whole place can easily be seen in about 20 minutes. I reccomend checking it out.

Nanzenji is my favorite temple in Kyoto. It is beautiful in every season and has nice a variety of places to photograph, including, gardens, a huge gate that you can go to the top and have a very nice view, aqueducts, and a tea room in front of a small waterfall. Nanzenji is famous but will have smaller crowds than the more popular tourist spots of Kiyomizudera and Kinkakuji. Don’t miss this jewel that is on the east side of Kyoto at the southern end of Tetsugaku no michi (Path of Philosophy).

For more information take a look at the official homepage of Nanzenji.

Kinkakuji, or the Golden Pavilion, is a Zen Temple that is covered in real gold and was originally the residence of the retired shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. The Golden Pavilion is beautiful throughout the year, especially when the fall leaves are changing colors. Along with the actual Golden Pavilion, the surrounding grounds are quite picturesque. The GP is located on the west side of Kyoto, close to Ryoanji. The best way to get there is either by taxi or bus 101 or 205.

Ginkakuji is located on the east side of Kyoto and right off the Philosopher’s Path. Ginkajuji was built for the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa and designed after Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) and was suppose to be covered in Silver, but when Yoshimasa died, the plans for this were set in stone. The temple grounds are pretty nice and worth checking out. From the hill you get a nice view.

For more information, please see the Japan-guide.com.

Ryoanji Temple is most famous for it’s Zen rock garden (below), which is the most famous in all of Japan. The rock garden consists of, yes you guessed it, rocks (and a little moss). The rocks of various sizes are arranged in a certain way and small rocks (more like pebbles) are raked to create a Zen design.

Ryoanji is most famous for the rock garden, but the temple grounds are much more picturesque, especially around the lake. Also of the 4 times I have been there has been construction work on or close to the rock garden which obviously is not a plus. Ryoanji is located in northwestern Kyoto and close to Kinkakuji and Ninnanji.

For more access information please see Japan-Guide.com or the Official Ryoanji website.

Kiyomizudera, which means healing water temple, is on the south eastern side of Kyoto. It is perhaps the most famous temple in Kyoto (which means there is always a crowd) and when the weather is nice, there is a great view of Kyoto. There are many spots that make for interesting photos here. If possible, of course cherry blossom or fall are the best time’s to visit, especially if you can go at night when Kiyomizudera is lit up.

Below is the view from Kyomizudera at night.

For access information, please see The Japan-Guide.com

Tetsugaku no michi, or the Philospher’s Path, is on the east side of Kyoto. It is a path that runs from about Nanzenji all the way up to (and kind of passed) Ginkakujin. Along the way are various smaller temples, but the ones that you should make a point in going to are Nanzenji, Honen-in, and Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion).

To be honest, I went there in every season and I was never really impressed until I went in cherry blossom season. During the other seasons it is a nice walk, but when the sakura are in bloom, Tetsugaku no michi really comes to life and makes for a wonderful place to take photos or just go for a stroll. From end to end, without stopping in any of the temples or taking any photographs it takes about 30 minutes.

Kokedera (Moss Garden) in Kyoto is home to 22 different kinds of moss. Basically it is a garden where moss is covering most of the ground. It is believed to be the first designed garden with moss in Japan. I went during the fall and the autumn leaves were especially beautiful situated against the mostly green moss garden. I have been told that summer, during the rainy season, is a nice time to visit as the sunlight does wonders to the beads of water on the moss…that is of course, assuming it is not raining while you visit.

Of course like most places in Japan, fall is also a lovely time to go. The admission fee is a little steep (3000 yen and you NEED a reservation which should be made as early as possible due to the high demand of visitors) and while I thought it was worth it, I think I will not go again. That being said, I would be lying if I told you that I think you will be disappointed if you go, because it is a very beautiful and relaxing place.

Finding contact and access information has been a little hard on the internet for some reason, but I will post more information when I have it. In the meantime here are some telephone numbers (maybe they can speak English).

615.8286 (from Japan)

81(0)75.391.3631 (from outside of Japan)

Flowers and plants delivery – order flowers & plants online with Proflowers, your online florist. The flowers are fresher than local florists and last longer