Ryoanji Temple

You’ve probably seen the little desktop Zen gardens that are sold as a balm to the harried spirit of the modern corporate warrior. A wooden tray, some white sand, a few rocks and a tiny bamboo rake to make all those wonderfully even lines.
In Kyoto you can see the original, the famous karesansui or dry stone garden of Ryoan-ji, a temple of the Rinzai school of Zen.
Though the temple itself was founded in 1450, no one knows exactly when the garden was constructed, or by whom. It’s incredibly popular, perhaps the best known Japanese garden both inside and outside the country, and if you go you should be prepared to share it with a crowd of other visitors, all struggling to find a Zen moment in the din of cameras, a babel of languages, and the endlessly looping recorded commentary helpfully broadcast over loudspeakers.

It’s worth it though. The garden is a genuine visual riddle, fifteen stones arrayed across a rectangular field of raked gravel in such a way that from any given vantage point one stone is always lost to view. As much a taunt as a garden, the abstract aesthetic in play here assures the viewer of an intention, but keeps the meaning wholly under wraps. There has been endless speculation concerning that meaning over the years, the most recent being a 2002 article in the science journal Nature that claims to use new research into human perception to solve the riddle. The answer? Whatever it is that you imagine you’re seeing, islands, a mother tiger leading her cubs across the sea, or the Chinese character for heart, what you’re actually seeing on a subconscious level is a tree.

Convinced? Neither was I. Still, it’s beautiful in a severe way and no trip to Kyoto would be finished without a visit here. After you’ve spent enough time bashing your head against the puzzle, and have memorized the recorded commentary, be sure to explore the rest of the temple grounds, including the much less crowded Kyoyo-chi pond garden, especially beautiful in the autumn.

Matt Mangham

13 Goryonoshitamachi, Ryoanji, Ukyoku, Kyoto

JR Kyoto station===(City bus No.50, 35min.)====Ritsumeikan Daigaku Mae===(On foot, 7min.)===Ryoanji Temple

Open Hours:
March 1 - November 30 　　　 8:00 - 17:00
December 1 - Feburuary 28　 8:30 - 16:30

Adult and high school student: 500 yen
Elementary school/Junior high school student: 300 yen

Ryoanji Temple:http://www.ryoanji.jp/
Kyoto Tourism Council "Kyoto Travel Guide": http://www.kyoto.travel/

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