Tōfuku-ji(東福寺) is home to a spectacular garden built into a valley that’s spanned by the graceful "bridge to heaven." Founded in 1236, Tōfuku-ji was intended to compare with the prestigious temples Tōdai-ji and Kōfuku-ji in Nara. Thus, its name combines characters from the names of these temples. Today, Tōfuku-ji belongs to the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism and contains 24 sub-temples.
The Tōfuku-ji complex contains several buildings that have survived since the Muromachi period (1333–1573), including the 22m-tall San-mon, the oldest Zen main gate in Japan (1425) and numerous outbuildings, such as the Zen-dō (Meditation Hall) and the ancient tōsu (lavatory). To view other buildings, you'll need a ticket. It's worth it to cross the Tsūten-kyō (Bridge to Heaven) that spans a valley filled with maples. Across the bridge, climb a flight of covered stairs up to the Kaisan-dō (mausoleum of the founding abbot), fronted by a dry garden and an Edo-period garden with lush plants and a pond. Paths near Tsūten-kyō descend into the maple valley.
The Hōjō (Abbot’s Hall) was reconstructed in 1890, and its gardens were laid out in 1938, which gives them a more contemporary feel. The northern garden in particular has stones and moss neatly, if enigmatically, arranged in a checkerboard pattern. From a viewing platform at the back of the gardens, you can observe the Tsūten-kyō and valley below.
Tōfuku-ji offers regular Zen meditation sessions for beginners, but don’t expect coddling or English-language explanations: this is the real deal. Get a Japanese speaker to enquire at the temple about the next session (it holds about four a month for beginners).
Note that Tōfuku-ji is one of Kyoto’s most famous autumn-foliage spots, and it is invariably packed during the peak of colors in November. Otherwise, it’s often very quiet.
