If you are lucky enough to be in Kyoto during autumn, one of the seasons this subtemple of Daitoku-ji is opened to the public, you should make an effort to visit to see the changing colours. Ōbai-in is a world of interlinked gardens, including an incredibly rich moss garden and a starkly simple kare-sansui (dry landscape) garden. When you enter the Daitoku-ji complex via the east (main) gate, it’s on the left.


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1. Ryōgen-in

0.03 MILES

Ryōgen-in is a fine subtemple in the Daitoku-ji complex. It has two pleasing gardens, one moss and one kare-sansui. The kare-sansui has an interesting…

2. Daitoku-ji

0.15 MILES

For anyone with the slightest fondness for Japanese gardens, don't miss this network of lanes dotted with atmospheric Zen temples. Daitoku-ji, the main…

3. Zuihō-in

0.16 MILES

A subtemple of Daitoku-ji, Zuihō-in enshrines the 16th-century Christian daimyō (domain lord) Ōtomo Sōrin. In the early 1960s, a landscape architect named…

4. Daisen-in

0.19 MILES

The two small Zen gardens in this subtemple of Daitoku-ji are elegant examples of 17th-century kare-sansui style. Here the trees, rocks and sand are said…

5. Kōtō-in

0.21 MILES

On the far western edge of the Daitoku-ji complex, the sublime garden of this subtemple is one of the best in Kyoto and worth a special trip. It’s located…

6. Orinasu-kan

0.61 MILES

This atmospheric, and usually quiet, museum, housed in a Nishijin weaving factory, has impressive exhibits of Nishijin textiles.

7. Nishijin

0.81 MILES

Nishijin is Kyoto’s traditional textile centre, the source of all those dazzling kimono fabrics and obi (kimono sashes) that you see being paraded about…

8. Kinkaku-ji

0.94 MILES

Kyoto's famed 'Golden Pavilion', Kinkaku-ji is one of Japan's best-known sights. The main hall, covered in brilliant gold leaf, shining above its…