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Photo: 663highland, CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
Japan's oldest Zen temple, has handsome halls and sand and moss gardens, and is of particular interest to art lovers. Sōtatsu's famed Edo-period screens of the Wind and Thunder Gods are on display. And on the high ceiling of the Hatto Dharma Hall writhe Koizumi Junsaku's splendid Twin Dragons, painted and installed in 2002.
Kennin-ji is a historic Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan, and head temple of its associated branch of Rinzai Buddhism. It is considered to be one of the so-called Kyoto Gozan or "five most important Zen temples of Kyoto".
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六波羅蜜寺
While the temple may not seem so special, the trip is made worthwhile by the amazing Kamakura Period artwork housed in its museum. In particular, the statue of Kuya is quite a unique piece of artwork depicting Kuya Shonin reciting the nenbutsu. To depict the words, the artist Taira Kiyomori, sculpted six miniature figures of Kuya Shonin walking out of his open mouth. Each figure represents one syllable in the nenbutsu. This temple is also the 17th temple of the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage.
八坂神社
At the eastern end of Shijō-dōri, at the edge of Gion, is the shrine responsible for Kyoto's main festival - the Gion Matsuri, which takes place in July. The shrine is small in comparison with many in Kyoto, but it boasts an impressive display of lanterns.
円山公園 Maruyama Kōen
One of the most popular spot for cherry blossom viewing in Kyoto, and can get extremely crowded at that time of year. The park's star attraction is a weeping cherry tree (shidarezakura), which offers an ethereal vision lit up in the night. Outside of the season, a nice spot to rest yourself during travelling around the Higashiyama area. Main entrance to the park is through Yasaka Shrine.
高台寺
This temple was built for Toyotomi Hideyoshi's widow by Tokugawa Ieyasu and is located right next to the Ryōzen Kannon temple on the Higashiyama mountain. If you really like temples this is a very nice one. It's got a nice bamboo grove that you walk through on the way out. It was established in 1605. The remaining buildings survived a fire in 1789.
茶道体験カメリア
You can enjoy an authentic tea ceremony in a beautiful 100-year-old traditional Geisha house just five minutes from Kiyomizu Temple. Instruction, demonstration, a bowl of tea and a sweet are included. Each session starts every hour on the hour, between 10:00 and 17:00. Cash and credit card accepted.
霊山観音
A memorial to the unknown Japanese soldiers who died in World War II, with a 24-meter-tall statue of Kannon.