Saihoji (Kokedera) Attractions & Landmark

Paradise Moss Garden
Featured Image

56 Kamigaya-cho
Matsuo
Kyoto,
615-8286
Japan
Phone No. +81 75 391 3631

Overview

Kokedera ("Moss Temple") features four and a half acres of garden with 22 types of moss under dark trees. The garden was conceived to aid contemplation, an earthly rendition of paradise surrounding Buddha, and it is best seen in early summer, during the rainy season, as light shimmers on the mosses. The dry garden (kare sansui) here was perhaps the first of its kind in Japan. One of the two teahouses has been designated a national treasure. Up to 1977, the temple and garden were open freely to the public, but, due to the large number of visitors, special permission has to be arranged.

The Premier Garden of japanby Yahoo | 2007-06-25 23:21:19 |

One of the most beautiful and peaceful gardens we visited out of many. Would wish t oreturn frequently were it not so far away from San francisco. Thank yo ufor its preservation and the opportunit yto visit.

Worth the hassleby Yahoo | 2005-02-04 05:58:18 |

The otherworldly Moss Garden at Saiho-ji was so popular that the monks instituted a reservation system to limit the number of visitors. If you want to see it you not only have to arrange in advance, but you also have to copy Buddhist sutras for awhile before they will admit you into the garden. If you have any love for Japanese gardens, it's worth it. We've visited many of the well-known gardens in Kyoto, and its quiet, shaded green beauty is unlike any of them, maybe unlike any other easily accessible place in the world.