Kyoto Saiho-ji Temple The mossy marvelous garden, the tatami floored main hall, and Japanese atmosphere in the tea room

Saiho-ji Temple in Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto City is the temple that has more than 1,200 years of history.
As a “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto”, it’s designated as a world heritage.

Its beautiful garden is fulfilled by 120 types of mosses, so that it’s also called “Moss Temple”.

It looks like paved with green carpets, and the image of drably moss will be changed.
A lot of tourists, even from abroad, visit this garden to see the contrast with a pond and trees.

You need to apply in advance for a reply-paid postcard to visit the garden in Saiho-ji Temple.

Unfortunately, it was opened freely till 1977 though, after that, it became the current way to apply in advance because visitors had bad manners and they destroyed mosses too much.

The entrance fee is ¥3,000, a bit expensive, and it’s included visiting the garden, enter the main hall, sutra chanting, and sutra copying.

The tatami floored main hall was rebuilt in 1969.
It’s an exceptional atmosphere to feel the history and the silent time in Saiho-ji Temple that has a solomon Japanese atmosphere.

You don’t need to sit with Seiza style when worship in a main hall, it means, you can sit with your easier style.

Beyond the stone pavements, there is Shonantei, an Important Cultural Property fulfilled with a Japanese atmosphere.
This is a tea room built by Senno-Shoan, who is a second born of Senno-Rikyu.

Saiho-ji Temple doesn’t have only the mossy garden and the main hall, but also a lot of places to see to feel Japanese atmosphere.
Why don’t you visit this “Moss Temple” in Kyoto to see and love mosses glowing with rain in the rainy season?

Saiho-ji Temple WEB:http://saihoji-kokedera.com/en/top.html

Source of photos:https://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/takuya_o0917/36234899.html

Tags:tatami Kyoto Tearoom SaihojiTemple MossTemple Shonantei