JAPANJapan is situated in northeastern Asia between the North Pacific and the Sea of Japan. The area of Japan is 377,873 square kilometers, nearly equivalent to Germany and Switzerland combined or slightly smaller than California. Japan consists of four major islands, surrounded by more than 4,000 smaller islands. |
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Kyoto
Ryoan-ji has its origins in the middle of the 15th century, when the villa of a court noble was converted into a Zen temple. Having once been destroyed by fire, the present building was rebuilt at the end of the 15th century. The Hojo Garden (hojo = the residence of the chief priest) is known for its Karesansui-style garden, which expresses the ocean and mountains through an arrangement of white sand and stone. The simple arrangement of just 15 stones and white sand expresses the world of Zen. With its low white earthen wall in the background, it is said that this garden expresses islands amidst the expansive ocean. This garden is so famous that when people think of stone gardens they think of Ryoan-ji. In the compounds of this temple is a stone pot used in the tea ceremony and which is engraved in the spirit of Zen, a sect of Buddhism famous for the practice of zazen, or religious meditation. The precinct also contains a camellia tree which was offered by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the supreme ruler of Japan during the latter part of the 16th century.
Address
13 Ryoanji-goryo-no-shita-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
Admission Fee
500 yen (regular fee)
Closed
Directions
JR Kyoto Stn./Bus/50-min. ride/Ritsumeikan Univ. mae Stop/8-min. walk
