The last stop in my revisit to Arashiyama was TENRYU-JI (UNESCO Heritage Site).
NOVEMBER 22, 2018
While planning the Kansai Region trip last year, I read that this temple is at its best during spring and autumn so my expectations were high… and it did not disappoint! Even at the parking area, people were already having their pictures taken.
I bought the ticket for both main hall and garden (¥800) entrance passes, with the temple being my first order of business. No shoes allowed, by the way!
I liked the area where they have a large sitting hall and you can just admire the view of the pond and autumn trees. It was just so beautiful plus having that sense of inner peace while looking at the surroundings. I guess no surprise why Tenryu-ji is regarded as one of the best Zen temples in Kyoto.
I spent some time there before exploring the rest of temple buildings.
Once finished, I returned to the ticket booth to wear my shoes and then headed to the next area. Tenryuji’s garden was created by Muso Soseki, a famous Zen Buddhist Monk who was also the first head priest of this temple.
During my 2017 visit, I thought that I already saw the whole garden so I was shocked to learn that there was a huge area that I didn’t get to see last time. I also didn’t know that there was an exit from there that would lead straight into the bamboo grove… So how did I not know these things? I remembered that at that time, we were in a hurry to catch the Sagano Torokko Train so our visit was cut short.
Anyway, pardon for having lots of photos after this because I just found everything really beautiful, especially because I was surrounded by a mix of colors (red, orange, and yellow). It was just so surreal!
I hope you enjoyed a bit of a tour in Tenryu-ji’s famous garden during the peak of autumn. ❤
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