Escape the crowds with our guide to explore Kyoto’s secret gardens in all their tranquil splendor.
While most visitors to Kyoto only have time for classical temples and shrines, it is worth finding an extra day to get off the tourist track and explore the city’s hidden gardens.
The day will include visits to a variety of garden styles, including dry stone gardens, promenade gardens, and gardens using the “borrowed landscape” technique. The Zen gardens at Daitokuji Temple, for example, are some of the best stone gardens in the country. It is said that it looks like a Chinese painting; the vertical rocks represent the mountains, while the white sand symbolizes the rivers and oceans.