Nanzen-ji Temple

Nanzen-ji is one of the most important Zen temples in Japan and one of the most enjoyable to explore. It began as the retirement villa of Emperor Kameyama in the 13th century and was converted into a Zen temple in 1291, becoming the head temple of the Nanzen-ji branch of Rinzai Zen. It was later given a rank above even Kyoto's Five Great Zen Temples, and its spacious, pine-shaded grounds at the foot of the eastern mountains still convey that prestige. The first sight is the Sanmon, a massive wooden gate rebuilt in the 1620s, one of the largest temple gates in Japan. For a small fee you can climb its steep stairs to the upper balcony for a view over the temple roofs and across the city; a famous kabuki scene has the legendary thief Ishikawa Goemon admiring this same view and declaring it priceless. Beyond lies the Hojo, the abbot's quarters, with a celebrated dry garden of raked white gravel, stones and clipped shrubs, popularly called the Garden of Leaping Tiger Cubs, and painted sliding doors inside. You can sit with a bowl of matcha overlooking a small waterfall. Then comes the surprise: the Suirokaku, a red-brick aqueduct built in the Meiji era to carry the Lake Biwa Canal through the temple grounds. Its Roman-style arches, now mossy and weathered, are one of Kyoto's most photographed spots and still carry water from Lake Biwa into the city. Around the main temple are sub-temples with gardens of their own, including Tenju-an, Nanzen-in and Konchi-in.

How to explore. The temple grounds and the aqueduct are free to wander, and the Sanmon balcony, the Hojo and each sub-temple charge their own modest fees, so you can tailor the visit. If you choose only one paid area, make it the Hojo for its gardens and the matcha by the waterfall; climb the Sanmon too if you have the legs for its steep, ladder-like stairs. Walk up onto the aqueduct's channel behind the brick arches, where a path follows the water into the woods, toward the wooded hills. Sub-temples such as Tenju-an and Nanzen-in are quieter and especially lovely in autumn, with maples reflected in their ponds.

Seasons and food. In mid to late November the maples around the Sanmon and the sub-temples turn brilliant red, and Nanzen-ji becomes one of the busiest foliage spots in eastern Kyoto. Arrive early. The area is also famous for yudofu, simple simmered tofu, a dish associated with Zen temple cuisine; several long-established restaurants around the temple serve set meals of it, a comforting lunch on a cold day. In spring, the nearby Keage Incline, an old railway slope used to haul boats along the canal, is lined with cherry trees and makes a fine walk.

Location and pairing. Nanzen-ji is a seven-minute walk from Keage Station on the Tozai subway line, and it sits at the southern end of the Philosopher's Path, so it combines naturally with Ginkaku-ji to the north: walk the path south in the morning and finish at Nanzen-ji, or start here and walk north. Eikan-do, famous for autumn maples, is a few minutes north, and the Okazaki area, with Heian Shrine and the city's art museums, lies just to the west. Allow one to two hours. If you have extra time, climb the wooded path behind the aqueduct to the small Nanzen-ji Okunoin, a quiet shrine beside a waterfall in the hills, where few visitors go. In every season, the contrast between the austere Zen buildings and the red-brick arches captures something essential about Kyoto, a city that absorbed modernity without giving up its temples.