Saiho-ji (Koke-dera) Temple

This was a place of unimaginable tranquility and beauty. The peace I felt here exceeded my wildest thoughts. If I could retire here and tend the grounds so that others could enjoy this place for another 700 years I would do so without hesitation. Tickets must be purchased in advance online. You must copy a sutra before going into the garden. It was so worth it I cannot fully explain it.

We walked here (45mins) from the bamboo forest.

I was able to buy tickets online a few days before our visit - simple process. We booked the 10:00 slot.

We arrived about 10 mins prior to our appt time and there were already a dozen people in line. They asked for our QR code and we all started to enter at 10.

They gave us a calligraphy pen upon entry and guided us to the temple where you copy a mantra in Japanese. No photos inside the temple. It was a peaceful and beautiful way to relax the mind and set intentions for your visit.

After, we visited the garden. Even though there were a dozen or so people it felt like we had the place to ourselves. I could have stayed there all day.

Tip/Recommendation: read the material and site prior to visit. It really helps anchor you in the right mindset and intentionality of the space.

It's been my 3rd time. I believe this is one of earth's most beautiful places.

There's a tiny waterfall, where the water goes into a pond under a bridge - listen to the sound of water there, don't take pictures, just enjoy and find real tranquility.

A beautiful temple and the moss garden was brilliant. The autumn colours were beautiful. The calligraphy of the sutra on arrival really puts you in the right mood.

After many visits to Japan, I finally made the effort to get a reservation here. 100% worth it! The calming tracing of a sutra in kanji before entering was a powerful way to quiet the mind. It isn't as if this is head and shoulders above many other great gardens and temples across Japan, but it is does seem to offer more surprises around each turn and leads to beauty-driven giggles.

One of the most beautiful gardens I have seen during the autumn period. Ticket is expensive but worth it, since visitor number is limited. Unfortunately, only the garden can be seen, entering most of the buildings is not allowed.

What a magical Zen place to spend an hour or so walking through the trails surrounded by different species of moss and beautifully maintained garden and lakes.

Before entering the garden there's a short calligraphy session and you can opt to offer and pray.

Reservations can be made online. It was raining when I visited and the moss looked live and picturesque. Highly recommend.

Amazing zen temple with a beautiful garden. Only accessible through online booking. Worth price and the hassle of booking in advance.

As my partner as put it, “It is like you’re in a giant terrarium!”

We came here on a rainy morning. Despite the rain, it was really nice to walk in the garden and enjoy the nature quietly. The place and the garden was well kept.

Pretty sure it would look even more beautiful during autumn.

I've read some reviews that this temple is expensive and not worth it, and I 100% completely disagree. This is the most beautiful, peaceful, and extraordinary place I've ever been. I signed up 3 weeks before online. It's a little tricky since I was coming from the US and the website and info is in Japanese, but I was able to do it. You can only make reservations for 2 people, and we were 3 in my group, so I used 2 different email addresses. The day before they send you a reminder email and then you just show them your reservation number.

Copying the sutras was so peaceful and unqiue using the brush pen they provided. There's no rush and you just slowly trace the symbols. Then you have access to the garden and grounds. Words cannot describe the beauty. There were colors of green I didn't know existed. With running water and koi fish, the experience was amazing.

This place was the highlight of our 14 day Japan trip and I would love to visit again. Highly, highly recommend if you can get tickets.

This Buddhist temple is really worth visiting, the gardens are impressive

The experience was amazing, we where given a sutra to copy, it was a very relaxing moment. If you are coming here be prepared to sit around for 1 hour and do some sort of meditation, don't be rude and leave before finishing just because you didn't know what you where getting yourself into. It is distracting for the others. Don
The price is a bit high, 3000 yen, but overall I think it was worth it. You have to make a reservation via letter, so prepare before time, see their website for details.
After the meditation you are left to visit the beautiful surrounding moss garden.

A breathtaking moss garden! They have more than 120 spices of moss.
Entry fee is 4,000 yen but worth the experience.
No walk in, online reservation only!

Beautiful place. Worth visiting. The reservation system is kinda good in the way that it indirectly acts as a barrier of entry in terms of effort and planning, against the typical follow-the-crowd tourist. Even on a nice clear day, there were only a handful of visitors and no selfie crowds. It felt very peaceful especially when started with a period of meditation and calligraphy.

The must visit temple and garden in Kyoto. You have to reserve in advance by postcard or website, but totally worth the trouble. The temple is at the final stop of city bus 63 so not need to worry to miss the stop. Breath taking garden covered by various moss. And you could round up the day at the arashiyama. I will definitely come again when revisiting Kyoto!

An absolutely delightful and calming experience. You need to register online beforehand and pay 4000¥ (around €26 at the time of writing). But in my opinion, it’s totally worth it (and I’ve been to lots of temples in the Kansai region). Before you enter the moss garden, you must participate in sutra copying (shakyo) – an important spiritual practise in Buddhism. And if you like, you can keep the sheet as a memento. Once I entered the garden, I was overwhelmed by how vibrant green the garden was, the beautiful shapes of the moss and the glistening ‘Shin’ shaped pond in the middle. The staff were very welcoming and friendly. It would’ve been great to have had a tea in the tearoom, but unfortunately it was closed. Arigato ✨

Stunning place! The gardens are beautiful!
I would recommend it to anyone who loves plants and a quite walk.

Need to book in-advance, as they limit guests per day in the interest of the gardens.

You are required to ask for notice seven days in advance to enter, some hotels can do this for you and some companies online charge a fee to do this. Upon entering you witness a small Buddhist ceremony with chanting, you are then asked to write a wish, and your name on a wooden plate and present it. After that, you can see the garden freely.

When I visited, I was surprised to see most other visitors rush through the garden and leave within half an hour. Wait, take your time, and most other people will leave, you won't have people in the background of your photos, and you won't be disturbed too much. The garden is fairly large, dominated by a pond, and has extensive moss. It's very beautiful. I was lucky enough that a heron flew down into the garden and stayed for a short while after most people left. It's a bit of effort to get access, and a bit of effort to understand your ticket, but it's very beautiful and well worth it.

Really a fantastic experience to listen Buddha chanting in Japanese & giving us a blessing board to write down our wishes! Highlight will be to visit the moss garden. They gave plenty of time to walk around the garden to enjoy the environment & taking photo! Love such pre-booking arrangement, which won’t be so crowded so that to ruin such peaceful environment 😍

You have to make a reservation with the temple at least a month before your visit. They don’t take online reservations; you’ll have to send them a self-addressed envelope for confirmation and admission passes (old school). There are a bunch of travel agencies that charge an additional fee for getting around this process, but we didn’t use them because it wasn’t exactly hassle-free or guaranteed either. We got in thanks to the helpful team at the ANA Crown Plaza Kyoto.