A long temple with a great garden. Sakura was blooming in early March, so does the Ume flowers. Beautiful landscaped garden at the side of the temple. It amazing structural of this wooden temple. However, no camera inside of this temple but good memories in me still intact.

Pyee ChanFeb. 28, 2018

Well. Just so so. The garden part is definitely more worth visiting than the temple. Didn’t figure out how it gets evaluated as world heritage though.

ziang aoJan. 1, 2018

Not bad. Pity the flowers n leaves were all missing due to cold winter weather. I'd imagine snow or cherry blossom period = super awesome! Paid 800JPY for Temple + Garden tickets. Would probably skip the Temple ticket and just buy the Garden tix 500 or 600JPY).Nothing to wow about with the Temple tix route. Like this review if you find it useful! 😁👍

AL ALFeb. 3, 2018

This is one of the most beautiful temples in Kyoto. It has a very beautiful garden and the temple is huge.Perfect place to relax walks. This is a must-go and should be in your itinerary for Arashiyama. Highly recommended.

John JohnDez. 21, 2017

It's worth visiting both the gardens and the buildings. Garden admission is 500 yen and temple buildings admission is 300 yen for adults. Visitors are allowed to walk into many of the halls within the buildings. The temple is large and open, with breathtaking views of the pond and the garden. The garden is beautiful and impeccably maintained.

Elena LinOkt. 18, 2017

Absolutely stunning gardens make this a must see. They were literally breathtaking and it was fantastic to see with all the cherry blossoms coming into bloom. We really enjoyed our visit and highly recommend it. I would say just pay to see the gardens as the inside of the temple is nothing amazing but it does give you a better viewpoint of the gardens so it's worth thinking about!

Daniel StancombeMärz 16, 2018

A nice temple to walk around. We entered it after walking in the bamboo forest. You need to pay an admission fee. Sogenchi Garden is a must-see, so beautiful. There were many people the day we went but since the place was big, it didn't seem too crowded.

Peter WongApr. 12, 2018

A great temple to spend time at after visiting the bamboo groves next door. The garden area is serene and lush during spring! We did manage to catch a few cherry blossom trees too! All in all it’s a calm and peaceful way to spend time.

Advaitaa RaviMärz 21, 2018

this is a nice temple in this area, 天龍寺 is a treasure of Kyoto... I suggest you to visit it if you have time. ~ According to Wikipedia, it has another name called Tenryū Shiseizen-ji (天龍資聖禅寺)—is the head temple of the Tenryū branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism, located in Susukinobaba-chō, Ukyō Ward, Kyoto, Japan. The temple was founded by Ashikaga Takauji in 1339, primarily to venerate Gautama Buddha, and its first chief priest was Musō Soseki. Construction was completed in 1345. My last visiting happened to have autumn fall ( red leaf) ... and the view is just fantastic !

JOHN NGApr. 19, 2018

4 stars because the goshuin I got was fully a stamp, not the beautiful calligraphy that other goshuin are. It wasnt even busy when I was there. The temple grounds are beautiful

Kayla AxenApr. 8, 2018

Pretty temple with a distinctive and pretty garden. The temple buildings have lots of pretty and interesting views onto the gardens and grounds, with small gardens between buildings. There are also lots of old and famous paintings on display. The main feature is a pond with a hill behind it that you can ree from different angles, there's also a small heavily mossy zen garden with large stones. Definitely worth a visit.

Mister EdMai 3, 2018

Very beautiful castle and very interesting information that you would not expect. Tho there are tourist areas in the complex great location and very pretty. Up near the top of the small hill is a view of the ocean that makes you smile

Chris SMai 8, 2018

A nice temple that you can pay for a walk through the garden, temple, or both. Very cheap for whatever option you choose. The zen garden is where most people will stop and take pictures, but going inside the temple and walking the corridors while viewing the garden is the fullest experience. The exit of this place leads to the Bamboo Forest which is A MUST SEE AND IS FREE. It's a short walk, but take in everything as you go through.

Andy SeelallJuni 22, 2018

You can spend a whole day in the area. The gardens are the best in Kyoto. Exit the temple gardens where you see bamboo and make a left to enter the bamboo forest. The area shops have fair prices and the monkey park is 12 minute walk from the temple.

Preston VertichJuni 27, 2018

A serene place where U go in from. One end and come on another end in the direction of restaurants over the water. There is a small souvenir shop at the temple and they have an interesting activity called Omikuji where U pick a paper that U need to put on the water for words to appear and where it can be translated into Ur language with a QR Reader App.

Jimmy ChanMai 31, 2018

Yes the attached garden is beautiful and a great example of their art of combining the topography into the layout, but two warnings. First wow was it crowded and second the hall that has the huge dragon on the ceiling is only open on the weekends. Still a must see for me. The bamboo forest was interesting but again so crowded it was almost too much.

Ross PerryMai 24, 2018

Serene and beautiful. The temple grounds have been impeccably maintained and transport you into another world as soon as you step inside. The koi pond with the beautiful hill in the background is a panacea for the stresses of our modern lives.

Rohit MadampathJuli 23, 2018

United Nations Heritage monument. The gardens are sublimes. You can exit and visit the bamboo forest in one end. It can however be crowded so try to come in early (same as for the Bamboo forest).

Dom HJuli 18, 2018

A great place just to sit a while and ponder life. It is very popular so be ready for lots of visitors taking snap shots, but if your not in a tour group just hang around in the temple on the mats (shoes off is required) you leave them on a shelf at the front and listen to the swallows singing while making there nests in the eves.

Stuart HolleyJuli 1, 2018

A long temple with a great garden. Sakura was blooming in early March, so does the Ume flowers. Beautiful landscaped garden at the side of the temple. It amazing structural of this wooden temple. However, no camera inside of this temple but good memories in me still intact.

Pyee ChanFeb. 28, 2018

Well. Just so so. The garden part is definitely more worth visiting than the temple. Didn’t figure out how it gets evaluated as world heritage though.

ziang aoJan. 1, 2018

Not bad. Pity the flowers n leaves were all missing due to cold winter weather. I'd imagine snow or cherry blossom period = super awesome! Paid 800JPY for Temple + Garden tickets. Would probably skip the Temple ticket and just buy the Garden tix 500 or 600JPY).Nothing to wow about with the Temple tix route. Like this review if you find it useful! 😁👍

AL ALFeb. 3, 2018

This is one of the most beautiful temples in Kyoto. It has a very beautiful garden and the temple is huge.Perfect place to relax walks. This is a must-go and should be in your itinerary for Arashiyama. Highly recommended.

John JohnDez. 21, 2017

It's worth visiting both the gardens and the buildings. Garden admission is 500 yen and temple buildings admission is 300 yen for adults. Visitors are allowed to walk into many of the halls within the buildings. The temple is large and open, with breathtaking views of the pond and the garden. The garden is beautiful and impeccably maintained.

Elena LinOkt. 18, 2017

Absolutely stunning gardens make this a must see. They were literally breathtaking and it was fantastic to see with all the cherry blossoms coming into bloom. We really enjoyed our visit and highly recommend it. I would say just pay to see the gardens as the inside of the temple is nothing amazing but it does give you a better viewpoint of the gardens so it's worth thinking about!

Daniel StancombeMärz 16, 2018

A nice temple to walk around. We entered it after walking in the bamboo forest. You need to pay an admission fee. Sogenchi Garden is a must-see, so beautiful. There were many people the day we went but since the place was big, it didn't seem too crowded.

Peter WongApr. 12, 2018

A great temple to spend time at after visiting the bamboo groves next door. The garden area is serene and lush during spring! We did manage to catch a few cherry blossom trees too! All in all it’s a calm and peaceful way to spend time.

Advaitaa RaviMärz 21, 2018

this is a nice temple in this area, 天龍寺 is a treasure of Kyoto... I suggest you to visit it if you have time. ~ According to Wikipedia, it has another name called Tenryū Shiseizen-ji (天龍資聖禅寺)—is the head temple of the Tenryū branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism, located in Susukinobaba-chō, Ukyō Ward, Kyoto, Japan. The temple was founded by Ashikaga Takauji in 1339, primarily to venerate Gautama Buddha, and its first chief priest was Musō Soseki. Construction was completed in 1345. My last visiting happened to have autumn fall ( red leaf) ... and the view is just fantastic !

JOHN NGApr. 19, 2018

4 stars because the goshuin I got was fully a stamp, not the beautiful calligraphy that other goshuin are. It wasnt even busy when I was there. The temple grounds are beautiful

Kayla AxenApr. 8, 2018

Pretty temple with a distinctive and pretty garden. The temple buildings have lots of pretty and interesting views onto the gardens and grounds, with small gardens between buildings. There are also lots of old and famous paintings on display. The main feature is a pond with a hill behind it that you can ree from different angles, there's also a small heavily mossy zen garden with large stones. Definitely worth a visit.

Mister EdMai 3, 2018

Very beautiful castle and very interesting information that you would not expect. Tho there are tourist areas in the complex great location and very pretty. Up near the top of the small hill is a view of the ocean that makes you smile

Chris SMai 8, 2018

A nice temple that you can pay for a walk through the garden, temple, or both. Very cheap for whatever option you choose. The zen garden is where most people will stop and take pictures, but going inside the temple and walking the corridors while viewing the garden is the fullest experience. The exit of this place leads to the Bamboo Forest which is A MUST SEE AND IS FREE. It's a short walk, but take in everything as you go through.

Andy SeelallJuni 22, 2018

You can spend a whole day in the area. The gardens are the best in Kyoto. Exit the temple gardens where you see bamboo and make a left to enter the bamboo forest. The area shops have fair prices and the monkey park is 12 minute walk from the temple.

Preston VertichJuni 27, 2018

A serene place where U go in from. One end and come on another end in the direction of restaurants over the water. There is a small souvenir shop at the temple and they have an interesting activity called Omikuji where U pick a paper that U need to put on the water for words to appear and where it can be translated into Ur language with a QR Reader App.

Jimmy ChanMai 31, 2018

Yes the attached garden is beautiful and a great example of their art of combining the topography into the layout, but two warnings. First wow was it crowded and second the hall that has the huge dragon on the ceiling is only open on the weekends. Still a must see for me. The bamboo forest was interesting but again so crowded it was almost too much.

Ross PerryMai 24, 2018

Serene and beautiful. The temple grounds have been impeccably maintained and transport you into another world as soon as you step inside. The koi pond with the beautiful hill in the background is a panacea for the stresses of our modern lives.

Rohit MadampathJuli 23, 2018

United Nations Heritage monument. The gardens are sublimes. You can exit and visit the bamboo forest in one end. It can however be crowded so try to come in early (same as for the Bamboo forest).

Dom HJuli 18, 2018

A great place just to sit a while and ponder life. It is very popular so be ready for lots of visitors taking snap shots, but if your not in a tour group just hang around in the temple on the mats (shoes off is required) you leave them on a shelf at the front and listen to the swallows singing while making there nests in the eves.

Stuart HolleyJuli 1, 2018