Kenninji Temple

Zen began here! Since 1202, this is where Zen monks and the Zen curious have been learning and teaching Zen Buddhism! It’s very unassuming and welcoming. This is a highly recommended spot and very accessible, sitting at the southern end of Gion. Be sure to checkout the gardens and the dragon ceiling!

I went there for an exhibition by Poul Kajaeholme. The location was great, and even without the exhibition, I feel like the space in the temple is quite pleasant and worth visiting for a walk and to look around. I went to the corner where you can see something like a traditional house within the temple grounds and a lovely garden. With the sunset light, the atmosphere felt very relaxing—you can truly enjoy your time and even capture a great photo there. Don’t forget to visit during the magic hour! :)

Kenninji Temple, the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto, is a hidden gem known for its tranquil gardens and stunning art. The intricate dragon mural on the ceiling of the Dharma Hall is a highlight, alongside the minimalist rock gardens that invite quiet reflection. Tip: Take your time to explore the temple’s serene grounds, which offer a peaceful escape from the city’s hustle and bustle.

Tranquil and peaceful temple. One of the oldest temples in Kyoto. Do note that there is an entrance fee of 800 Yen. But you get to see many painting and it’s a good place to have some peace and quiet and time to yourself. Hand drawn gushoins here as well.

An absolutely incredible temple that at first glance may not seem like much but this temple is one of the highest ranking temples in Japan and carries with it incredible important in Zen Buddhism in Japan. The temple grounds are a beautiful garden and the main hall is gorgeous with a huge mural of twin dragons on the roof. You will be required to take off your shoes before going into the temple grounds and there are special slippers in order to go into the main hall itself. Pictures inside the main hall are not allowed so please be respectful! Highly recommended and worth a trip to see one of the beautiful and most important temples in Japan!

This temple is located just next to the Gion Corner. So if you’re visiting the Gion Corner, this temple can be an extra destination. The temple has nice architecture. There is also an internal visit that you will have to buy tickets and remove shoes to enter.

Incredible temple complex in the heart of Kyoto. They run a special, limited time event called Zen Night Walk Kyoto in the temple which is a most-go if you’re in town. The entire Temple is lighten with beautiful video art effects, sounds and more. Really special setting, highly recommend!

TIP: If you happen to wear a kimono 👘, come here for a photo shoot! Stunning and since it's out of the way, not inside the main Gion area, very often you may have it pretty much all for yourself. A perfect place for a short walk. There is no admission fees too!

There are so many temples in Japan. One of them is Kennin-ji Temple located in Kyoto. The most beautiful part of this temple is what's inside. There are many beautiful artwork. Other than that, the outside is very well maintained and is very beautiful as well. The outside is very beautiful. yes it is very big as well. I got lots of great pictures.

"" The Zen Gardens are Gorgeous "" Kennin-ji is a historic Zen Buddhist temple in Higashiyama, Kyoto, Japan, near Gion, at the end of Hanami Lane. Our guide knew all the right spots and vantage points for us to experience the best, and most serene view. The interior ceiling of the temple itself was adorned with a beautiful painting of dragons, a recent commemorative addition in 2002.This is a terrific place to take pictures as it is much less crowded than some other Temples. It's a Good place to stroll around and soak up all the history and views of a very old Buddhist temple. The Zen gardens are very beautiful.

There is so many temples in Kyoto it was overwhelming to narrow it down and pick one or two. My gf wanted to come here for their dragon art and I'm glad we did. It's free to get in but some area, like the whole art section, was a fee. As you enter the whole premise you walk down, and on the right side you keep walking to a small door entrance and that is where the dragon art is, as well as other arts. You take off your shoes. There are so many arts to look at, drawings, wall art, culture, it was a nice breath of fresh air. As you walk in this whole area there is also zen gardens. You can't go in them, just to look at. Each section of the room has different arts. As you walk towards the back there is a whole garden like area, very peaceful and full of trees. There is shoes for you to put on as you walk to the back. In there you will also see an open room for a small traditional tea time. You have to pay but it was pretty cheap. You get tradtional green tea, which was foamy and aromatic, and a sweet treat that had red bean. It was a nice little snack to have. As you finish you can walk around the small garden area and take you step back up, take the shoes off and go to another area where again, you wear another slipper and walk towards the outside to a grand room. I was not expecting this but it was some temple of a goddess or protector I think, When you look a the ceiling there is a huge wall art that is covered with twin dragon art. It's hard to explain but so grand when you look at it. I believe it was all hand drawn. There are many areas to observe, this is just one part of the temple. Everything seemed so peaceful and had a great positive aura. Even though you can't go in the zen gardens, just looking at them felt like a sense of stress is off your shoulder. As we stepped out and put our shoes back on, we looked around at other areas. Most just trees and a few things to look at here and there. I don't think we found much because we did not know where we were going and for the most part we came mainly for the dragon art. I would recommend checking this place out if you are in Kyoto. They are also near a restaurant that has a popular chicken bowl in hot stone pot for lunch (Wabiya).

A convenient temple to visit if you are in Gion. It has big grounds, and we visited at the end of the day so were a bit tired of walking, so we didn't see everything on the property, but this is another fine example of the classic architecture of Kyoto's temples.

When I headed for this temple, traffic was a little heavy on the narrow street leading to the temple. I walked on the road carefully lest I should be run down by car (in my youth I had an experience of being hit by car). The ground of the temple was spacious and I saw many sightseers taking some pictures of main halls and surrounding scenery. They seemed to come here to see a famous image of the wind and thunder gods drawn by Sotatsu Tawaraya in the Edo period (it appears in history text books) and painting of twin dragons on the ceiling. Both of two were overwhelming!! Their glaring eyes are so scary!! It is worth seeing, if you once see it, you will make an oath that you will never do a wrong thing. In front of the abbots' chamber vast dry landscape garden spread in front of me. If I stayed alone without talking for a long time, I might reach a stage where I am free of all thoughts and desires.