Central Kyoto - Kyoto - page 166

centrepiece: a rectangle of moss and maple trees, backed by bamboo. Take some time on
the veranda here to soak it all up.

ZUIHŌ-IN
( 瑞峯院 ; 491-1454; Kita-ku, Murasakino, Daito kuji-chō; admission ¥400; 9am-5pm; 20min walk
from Kitaōji Station, Karasuma subway line) Another subtemple of Daitoku-ji ( CLICK HERE ), Zuihō-
in enshrines the 16th-century Christian daimyō (domain lord) Ōtomo Sōrin. In the early
1960s, a landscape architect named Shigemori Misuzu rearranged the stones in the back
rock garden into the shape of a crucifix! More interesting is the main rock garden, which
is raked into appealing patterns reminiscent of water ripples. It's roughly in the middle of
the complex; once again, you may have to ask for directions.

| TEMPLE

ŌBAI-IN
( 黄梅院 ; 231-7015; Kita-ku, Murasakino, Daitokuji-chō; admission ¥600; end Mar-early May & early
Oct-early Dec; 20min walk from Kitaōji Station, Karasuma subway line) If you are lucky enough to be
in Kyoto during autumn when this subtemple of Daitoku-ji is opened to the public, then
you should make an effort to visit. The subtemple is a world of interlinked gardens, in-
cluding an incredibly rich moss garden and a starkly simple karesansui . Along with
nearby Kōtō-in ( CLICK HERE ), we rank this as one of the finest gardens in Kyoto. When
you enter the Daitoku-ji complex via the east (main) gate, it's on the left.

| TEMPLE

RYŌGEN-IN
( 龍源院 ; 491-7635; Kita-ku, Murasakino, Daitokuji-chō; admission ¥350; 9am-4.30pm; 20min walk
from Kitaōji Station, Karasuma subway line) Ryōgen-in is yet another fine subtemple in the Daitoku-
ji complex. It has two pleasing gardens, one moss and one karesansui . The karesansui
has an interesting island in its midst that invites lazy contemplation. When you enter the
Daitoku-ji complex via the east (main) gate, it's on the left, just before Ōbai-in ( CLICK HERE
).

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| SHRINE

SHIMOGAMO-JINJA
OFFLINE MAP
( 下鴨神社 ; 781-0010; 59 Izumi gawa-chō, Shimogamo, Sakyō-ku; 6.30am-5pm; 10min walk from
Demachiyanagi Station, Keihan line) This shrine, dating from the 8th century, is a Unesco World
Heritage Site. It is nestled in the fork of the Kamo-gawa and Takano-gawa rivers, and is
approached along a shady path through the lovely Tadasu-no-mori. This wooded area is
said to be a place where lies cannot be concealed and is considered a prime location to
sort out disputes. The trees here are mostly broadleaf (a rarity in Kyoto) and they are gor-
geous in the springtime.