Places to Go: Nanzen-ji Temple

Formerly known as Zenrinzen-ji, Nanzen-ji is a Zen Buddhist temple in the Higashiyama area of Kyoto. Surrounded by beautiful mountains, it is one of the most well-known Rinzai Zen temples in Japan. It was originally Emperor Kameyama’s retirement villa and it includes a temple hall and garden centered around a pond. Nanzen-ji is home to a sanmon (a great gate that holds importance within Japanese Buddhist temples), an exquisite European style canal and also multiple sub-temples, each with its own charm. You