Ryōan-ji
A Zen temple in north-west Kyoto with the most famous rock garden in Japan: fifteen stones set in raked white gravel, placed so that one is always hidden from any point on the veranda. It is a classic of kare-sansui, the dry landscape garden.
- Where
- Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 35.0344, 135.7183
Get the Ryōan-ji stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Ryōan-ji. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Kyoto volume with your photos and a note.
Near Ryōan-ji
Kinkaku-ji 1.1 km
A Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose reliquary, the Golden Pavilion, has its top two floors coated in gold leaf. It sits on the edge of a still pond that doubles it in reflection, and the present building was rebuilt in 1955.
Nijō Castle 3.5 km
A flatland castle in central Kyoto built for Tokugawa Ieyasu, with two rings of walls and moats, the Ninomaru Palace and several gardens. The palace corridors have nightingale floors that chirp underfoot, a warning against intruders.
Kyoto Imperial Palace 4.1 km
The palace of the emperors of Japan from 1331 until 1869, when the court moved to Tokyo. It stands within the wide Kyoto Gyoen park in Kamigyō, and its grounds are open to the public, with tours of the buildings.
Kamigamo Shrine 4.3 km
One of Kyoto's two Kamo shrines, on the banks of the Kamo River in the north of the city, first founded in 678. Two cone-shaped mounds of white sand stand before its halls, and it is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.
Tenryū-ji 4.5 km
The head temple of its own branch of Rinzai Zen, founded by Ashikaga Takauji in 1339 with Musō Soseki as its first chief priest. It ranks first among Kyoto's Five Mountains, and its garden pond borrows the hills of Arashiyama as a backdrop.
Shimogamo Shrine 5.0 km
One of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan, believed to date from the 6th century, before Kyoto became the capital. It is approached through Tadasu no Mori, an old forest, and is the elder of the city's two Kamo shrines.
Nishiki Market 5.4 km
A narrow covered market street in downtown Kyoto, one block north of Shijō Street, crowded with small stalls and shops. It is where the city buys its pickles, tofu, fish and sweets, and is often called Kyoto's kitchen.
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove 5.5 km
A grove of tall mōsō bamboo in Arashiyama, with paths that run between the green stems beside Tenryū-ji. The Ministry of the Environment counts the sound of the wind through it among the soundscapes of Japan.
More UNESCO World Heritage sites in Kyoto
Questions
Where is Ryōan-ji?
Ryōan-ji is in Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Kinkaku-ji (1.1 km), Nijō Castle (3.5 km), Kyoto Imperial Palace (4.1 km).
How do I get the Ryōan-ji stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Ryōan-ji and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Kyoto volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Ryōan-ji before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Kyoto volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.