Taizo-in
Taizo-in
4.4
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Located in the heart of Myoshin-ji Temple Complex, Taizo-in Zen Buddhist Temple is well worth a visit, regardless of the time or the year. Visitors can enjoy Hyonenzu, known as the oldest water-ink painting in Japan and explore our spectacular Japanese Pond Garden, Yoko-en which Taizo-in is famous for. Please visit us to find more about us.
Duration: < 1 hour
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Western Kyoto
Western Kyoto is home to some of the city's best eccentricities. Kyoto's Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street takes visitors back in time to the Meiji Period, where old homes have been transformed into tea houses and eateries. Pleasure boats drift down the riverbank, under wooden bridges that beckon nature lovers to hiking trails and botanical walks. The area's famously tall bamboo groves, monkey park, and impressive vistas during the Hanami cherry blossom viewing season mean that it is busiest in warmer months, though also gorgeous in the fall, when the mountains and hills along the banks turn multi-colored. Historic and engaging, even the rail cars in Western Kyoto seek to exemplify its traditional nature and scenic beauty. Many people, including natives, come to visit the 1,200 rakan statues at the Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple, which is still in use as a religious site.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.4
113 reviews
Excellent
60
Very good
40
Average
12
Poor
0
Terrible
1
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John W
Jindabyne, Australia577 contributions
Mar 2020 • Solo
The gem is the garden itself. It is small and exquisite. Easily missed around the end of the temple building is a small garden of boulders: stone boulders and bush boulders. The path enters the garden proper between two raked gravel beds, one light and one dark and then descends to the pond which is the main feature of the garden. It doesn't sound like much, but it is so artistically constructed and planted that it is worth a spell of quiet contemplation. Even in the drab tones of winter it is beautiful. When I first visited ten years ago it struck me as the loveliest garden I had ever seen.
The flaw in the gem is the commercialisation, which I do not remember from my previous visit. Admission costs 600 yen, twice the cost of admission to the great landscape gardens of Japan. There is a shop selling (tasteful of course) souvenirs and a tea house where one can buy and sip a matcha tea.
The flaw in the gem is the commercialisation, which I do not remember from my previous visit. Admission costs 600 yen, twice the cost of admission to the great landscape gardens of Japan. There is a shop selling (tasteful of course) souvenirs and a tea house where one can buy and sip a matcha tea.
Written March 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your visiting our temple, and also thank you for your favorable comment. We appreciate you realize the beauty of our garden and its value. Please come back again season by season, then you will discover different scenery, I bet.
Written July 23, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
LEE SOO
5,151 contributions
May 2024 • Solo
Yin Yang Garden Moss and Beautiful Garden
It is without a doubt the best garden in Kyoto.
If the day is cloudy or rainy, you get a perfect score of 100.
The weather is so nice that it couldn't be a better day to go for a walk.
I want to come every day
It is without a doubt the best garden in Kyoto.
If the day is cloudy or rainy, you get a perfect score of 100.
The weather is so nice that it couldn't be a better day to go for a walk.
I want to come every day
Written May 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pontevecchio56
San Diego, CA147 contributions
May 2015 • Couples
The Taizo-in temple is a Zen Buddhist facility that is the oldest of the 40 subordinate temples within the Myoshin-ji temple complex that can be found in northwest Kyoto. Taizo-in was established by the daimyo Hatano Shigemichi in 1404. I usually don’t visit Buddhist temples, because they rarely have high quality gardens and the buildings rarely adhere to the wabi-sabi aesthetic that we love so much in the Japanese culture. Zen temples on the other hand can offer superb gardens and the finest of the Sukiya architectural style buildings. In this case, the Taizo-in is listed as the 33rd best traditional Japanese garden in all of Japan on the Shiosai Rankings list sponsored by the “Sukiya Living” magazine. In my opinion it should be higher on the rankings list, but to even be in the top-50 list is already a big honor.
As you enter, you can follow the pathway around the building (the actual temple) in front of you, and visit the dry stone garden in the back. This area provides a beautiful and relaxing scene for viewing while the people sit/kneel in the temple hall. However, most of this area is restricted for visitors. You can participate in Zen meditation groups or other activities, but by appointment only.
Backtrack to the front of the temple, and then go south into the cemetery. Hold to the right and you come through another gate into the garden, and straight ahead of you is a large weeping cherry tree, one of the most spectacular that I have ever seen. It blossoms magnificently in Spring until the end of April. At the same time, you will see two small karesansui (dry stone gardens) to your left and to your right. The one on the left is a conventional stone garden with beautiful and majestic stones surrounded by a bed of racked, light colored Kamogawa gravel. Count the stones, and you will come up with seven (these style gardens traditionally have an odd number of stones). On the right, you will see another dry stone garden with dark stones in a bed of dark color gravel. Count the stones here and you will find eight. This is a reference to the ancient god, Daikoku, the god of wealth and good fortune. The number eight is considered a lucky number in Japan, and is often associated with Daikoku. But the Zen adherents tend to color Daikoku a sinister black color, apparently referring to the dark side of wealth. So the pathway goes between the purity of Zen enlightenment, and the dark side of the preoccupation with wealth, just as one goes through life constantly deciding between enlightenment and the temptations of wealth accumulation. The striking duality of these two karesansui brings this point to the fore. As one carefully selects his path between the two, he is rewarded with the peaceful beauty of the weeping cherry tree. Well designed, and well maintained, this garden is a delight as well as a thought provoking experience for the visitor.
As you walk towards the rear of the garden, you will encounter a large pond fed by multiple waterfalls and stocked with koi. There is a refreshment stand and gift shop placed into a tea house type building where you can sit down and enjoy the many views. Further towards the rear, there is a Sukiya style building where you can sit on the tatami mats and be served tea, all the while with a magnificent view of the garden and pond. You can also sit under a fujidana (wisteria arbor), or in a machiai (covered bench used as a waiting area for the tea house). In both cases you view the pond with the stream and waterfalls coming towards you. Very nice.
There is a tsukubai where the water drips into a hidden echo chamber and makes the most poignant sounds to attract the passers-by. There is also one of the finest shishi-odoshi (deer chaser) I have every encountered, with a remarkable period of 10 minutes and 12 seconds. The stones in this garden are magnificent and tastefully set. The water quality of the pond is moderately good and it is not stagnant. The pines are expertly pruned. The tamamono and okarikomi shrubs are well sheared and beautifully presented.
I have no doubt that this is one of the finest traditional gardens in Kyoto, and is perhaps the least known. You won’t see large crowds here, so let’s keep this place our little secret!
As you enter, you can follow the pathway around the building (the actual temple) in front of you, and visit the dry stone garden in the back. This area provides a beautiful and relaxing scene for viewing while the people sit/kneel in the temple hall. However, most of this area is restricted for visitors. You can participate in Zen meditation groups or other activities, but by appointment only.
Backtrack to the front of the temple, and then go south into the cemetery. Hold to the right and you come through another gate into the garden, and straight ahead of you is a large weeping cherry tree, one of the most spectacular that I have ever seen. It blossoms magnificently in Spring until the end of April. At the same time, you will see two small karesansui (dry stone gardens) to your left and to your right. The one on the left is a conventional stone garden with beautiful and majestic stones surrounded by a bed of racked, light colored Kamogawa gravel. Count the stones, and you will come up with seven (these style gardens traditionally have an odd number of stones). On the right, you will see another dry stone garden with dark stones in a bed of dark color gravel. Count the stones here and you will find eight. This is a reference to the ancient god, Daikoku, the god of wealth and good fortune. The number eight is considered a lucky number in Japan, and is often associated with Daikoku. But the Zen adherents tend to color Daikoku a sinister black color, apparently referring to the dark side of wealth. So the pathway goes between the purity of Zen enlightenment, and the dark side of the preoccupation with wealth, just as one goes through life constantly deciding between enlightenment and the temptations of wealth accumulation. The striking duality of these two karesansui brings this point to the fore. As one carefully selects his path between the two, he is rewarded with the peaceful beauty of the weeping cherry tree. Well designed, and well maintained, this garden is a delight as well as a thought provoking experience for the visitor.
As you walk towards the rear of the garden, you will encounter a large pond fed by multiple waterfalls and stocked with koi. There is a refreshment stand and gift shop placed into a tea house type building where you can sit down and enjoy the many views. Further towards the rear, there is a Sukiya style building where you can sit on the tatami mats and be served tea, all the while with a magnificent view of the garden and pond. You can also sit under a fujidana (wisteria arbor), or in a machiai (covered bench used as a waiting area for the tea house). In both cases you view the pond with the stream and waterfalls coming towards you. Very nice.
There is a tsukubai where the water drips into a hidden echo chamber and makes the most poignant sounds to attract the passers-by. There is also one of the finest shishi-odoshi (deer chaser) I have every encountered, with a remarkable period of 10 minutes and 12 seconds. The stones in this garden are magnificent and tastefully set. The water quality of the pond is moderately good and it is not stagnant. The pines are expertly pruned. The tamamono and okarikomi shrubs are well sheared and beautifully presented.
I have no doubt that this is one of the finest traditional gardens in Kyoto, and is perhaps the least known. You won’t see large crowds here, so let’s keep this place our little secret!
Written July 1, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Erkki N
Finland884 contributions
Oct 2019
Taizo-in is one of the highly rated Kyoto Gardens and righlty so. Taizo-in is one of the many subtemples of Myoshin-ji and easily found close to the south entrance to the complex. The Myoshin-ji compound resembles structurally that of the perhaps more famous Daitoku-ji, both are large areas with stone-paved streets and wider squares between temple halls and subtemples, many of which are not open to public.
Taizo-in provides many areas of beauty and has some rare characteristic features: the entrance to the garden area is dominated by a huge cherry tree that must be quite a sight at the cherry blossom season. Unfortunately I visited in October, missing this glory. The raked gravel fields on two sides of the entrance are of different color: the one on the right is of dark ravel rather than the more usual white one. The grooves are wide and deep, the display more dramatic than that of an average karesansui.
Deeper in the garden there is a pond and a stream flowing to it. Trees, bushes, water, form a harmonious setting, best viewed from the pergola at the deepest end of the garden. There is also a separate pavilion for enjoying green tea. One of the most beautiful sights during my Kyoto garden tour this time! I almost missed the rock garden behind the temple hall, but it can be seen from the far end of the area available for visitors and is very nice, more of a mainstream karesansui display.
Taizo-in provides many areas of beauty and has some rare characteristic features: the entrance to the garden area is dominated by a huge cherry tree that must be quite a sight at the cherry blossom season. Unfortunately I visited in October, missing this glory. The raked gravel fields on two sides of the entrance are of different color: the one on the right is of dark ravel rather than the more usual white one. The grooves are wide and deep, the display more dramatic than that of an average karesansui.
Deeper in the garden there is a pond and a stream flowing to it. Trees, bushes, water, form a harmonious setting, best viewed from the pergola at the deepest end of the garden. There is also a separate pavilion for enjoying green tea. One of the most beautiful sights during my Kyoto garden tour this time! I almost missed the rock garden behind the temple hall, but it can be seen from the far end of the area available for visitors and is very nice, more of a mainstream karesansui display.
Written August 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your favorable comment. I deeply impressed with your profound knowledge of Japanese gardens and temples. Please visit us again in spring and enjoy weeping cherry trees in full bloom！
Written March 3, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Damon D
Potomac Falls, VA116 contributions
Jun 2013 • Solo
About a 15 minute train ride from Kyoto station, Taizoin is located on the Myoshin-ji Zen Temple grounds. Taizoin contains 2 different gardens, a dry garden, and traditional strolling garden. Not very crowded, very peaceful and tranquil. You can purchase tea while you enjoy the view under lush foliage at the base of the strolling garden.
Written September 25, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ccfchew_23
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia423 contributions
Nov 2019
One of my favourite temples of my recent trip. This temple is part of the myoshinji temple and is located very near a JR station.
This area is one where tourist generally would not come but if you want to experience quiet, serene and a lovely japanese garden, this place is a must. It is not a big garden, but it has lovely spots where you could sit and appreciate how japanese gardens are created where you find oasis in a city.
One would not imagine that you are 5 min away from a train station that is 15 mins away from Kyoto main station, but when you are here, you are transported to an area where you could find your inner self.
There are 2 garden, 1 is more of a rock garden close to the entrance whereas the other is a japanese garden with a pond of koi fish and wonderful trees that in my mind resembles an almost "Narnia" like land. There is also a tea area if you would like to sip some tea.
This area is one where tourist generally would not come but if you want to experience quiet, serene and a lovely japanese garden, this place is a must. It is not a big garden, but it has lovely spots where you could sit and appreciate how japanese gardens are created where you find oasis in a city.
One would not imagine that you are 5 min away from a train station that is 15 mins away from Kyoto main station, but when you are here, you are transported to an area where you could find your inner self.
There are 2 garden, 1 is more of a rock garden close to the entrance whereas the other is a japanese garden with a pond of koi fish and wonderful trees that in my mind resembles an almost "Narnia" like land. There is also a tea area if you would like to sip some tea.
Written December 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Szabolcs H
Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic20 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
We have spent quite a long time just sitting on the bench processing the most tranquile and most beautiful japan garfen I have seen in my life!
6 stars!
6 stars!
Written May 30, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your visiting our temple, and also thank you for 6 stars! We appreciate you realize the beauty of our garden and its value, and we are glad that you stayed a very good time at our temple. Please come back again soon shen the corona settles down !
Written July 30, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Barbara A
Milwaukee, WI1,957 contributions
Apr 2013 • Family
Don't miss this smaller temple garden within the grounds of Myoshin-ji. We were there during Sakura season and it was amazing. You can walk around without huge crowds and enjoy the raked gravel, gazebo, beautiful landscaping and feed the koi fish. We all thought this was the most beautiful spot we saw during our visit to Japan.
Written April 11, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ArlettaC
Fairfield, CA1,114 contributions
Oct 2016 • Couples
This beautiful garden is tucked into a huge temple complex in Kyoto. It is as serene and tranquil a setting as one could possibly wish for. In particular, there is an exquisite small lake with benches for rest and contemplation. After a day of touring Kyoto sights, it was a wonderful respite. The garden is a lovely combination of sights and sounds and scents, to engage every human sense. Don't miss it.
Written January 23, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your visiting our temple, and also thank you for your favorable comment. We are glad that you enjoyed staying here. Sitting on the bench by the lake is definitely luxurious. Please come back again when the corona settles down.
Written July 30, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
JDnk05
Chicago, IL92 contributions
Oct 2016 • Solo
This was my second trip to Kyoto, so I've done all the must see destinations previously and was looking more for a tourist free and peaceful place. Taizo-in is now my absolute favorite temple in Kyoto. I was there on a Thursday morning around 11am and was able to enjoy the garden all on my own. The garden is absolutely beautiful and you can enjoy a cup of matcha and a bean cake for 500 yen. If you're looking for an authentic/zen experience, this is the place for you.
Written October 30, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your visiting our temple, and also thank you for your favorable comment. We appreciate you realize the beauty of our garden and its value. And we are glad that you luckily monopolize our beautiful garden. Please come back again when the corona settles down.
Written July 30, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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